Dozens of children and numerous older people have died from hunger and disease in the besieged Sudanese city of El Fasher over the past 40 days, the United Nations said Monday. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Secretary-General António Guterres, said the deaths occurred in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, and the adjoining Abu Shouk camp. He said funding shortages and rising costs have forced the shutdown of community kitchens, leaving thousands without daily meals. Civilians in El Fasher face impossible choices, trapped inside the city or risking violence, harassment and looting on insecure routes if they try to flee. “Local responders and other humanitarian workers, who risk their lives daily to deliver assistance, must also be protected.”