"Desperation in Sudan: El-Fasher Under Siege as Humanitarian Crisis Deepens"
The paramilitaries have tightened their 14-month blockade after losing control of the capital Khartoum earlier this year, intensifying their battle for el-Fasher, the last stronghold of the armed forces in Darfur. This week, fighting escalated into one of the most intense attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the city yet.
In the northern and central regions of the country, where the army has regained territory from the RSF, food and medical aid have begun to alleviate some civilian suffering. However, the situation remains desperate in the conflict zones of western and southern Sudan.
At the Matbakh-al-Khair communal kitchen in el-Fasher late last month, volunteers were forced to turn ambaz—residue from peanuts after oil extraction—into porridge, a substance typically reserved for animals. "Now we've reached the point of eating ambaz. May God relieve us of this calamity; there's nothing left in the market to buy," lamented the kitchen manager.
The UN has amplified its appeal for a humanitarian pause to allow food convoys into the city, with its Sudan envoy Sheldon Yett demanding that the warring sides observe their obligations under international law. While the army has cleared the way for trucks to proceed, the UN is still awaiting official confirmation from the paramilitary group.
RSF advisers have expressed skepticism about the truce, suggesting it could be used to facilitate the delivery of food and ammunition to the army's "besieged militias" inside el-Fasher. They also claimed to be establishing "safe routes" for civilians to leave the city.
Despite these claims, residents are struggling to survive amid bombardments and scrounge for food. Local responders can access some emergency cash through a digital banking system, but it barely stretches far enough. "The prices in the markets have exploded," said Mathilde Vu, advocacy manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council. "Today, $5,000 covers one meal for 1,500 people in a single day. Three months ago, the same amount could feed them for an entire week."
Doctors report that people are dying of malnutrition, with one regional health official estimating more than 60 deaths last week alone. Hospitals are overwhelmed, with few still operational, many having been damaged by shelling and lacking medical supplies to treat both the starving and the injured.
"We have many malnourished children admitted in hospital, but unfortunately, there is no single sachet of therapeutic food," said Dr. Ibrahim Abdullah Khater, a pediatrician at Al Saudi Hospital. "They are just waiting for their death," he added, highlighting the dire circumstances.
When hunger crises strike, the most vulnerable—those least healthy or suffering from pre-existing conditions—are often the first to perish. "The situation is so miserable, it is so catastrophic," Dr. Khater lamented. "The children of el-Fasher are dying daily due to lack of food and medicine. Unfortunately, the international community is just watching."
International non-governmental organizations working in Sudan issued an urgent statement this week, declaring that "sustained attacks, obstruction of aid, and targeting of critical infrastructure demonstrate a deliberate strategy to break the civilian population through hunger, fear, and exhaustion." They also noted anecdotal reports of food hoarding for military use, further exacerbating civilian suffering.
"There is no safe passage out of the city, with roads blocked and those attempting to flee facing attacks, taxation at checkpoints, community-based discrimination, and death," the organizations stated.
Hundreds of thousands have fled in recent months, many from the Zamzam displaced persons camp at the edge of el-Fasher, which was seized by the RSF in April. They arrive in Tawila, a town 60 km (37 miles) west of the city, weak and dehydrated, recounting violence and extortion along the road from RSF-allied groups.
Life in the crowded camps is safer, but disease looms large—most deadly of all is cholera, caused by polluted water. The outbreak is triggered by the destruction of water infrastructure and lack of food and medical care, worsened by flooding during the rainy season.
Unlike el-Fasher, aid workers in Tawila at least have access, but their supplies are limited. "We have shortages in terms of washing facilities and medical supplies to deal with this situation," said John Joseph Ocheibi, the on-site project coordinator for The Alliance for International Medical Action. "We are mobilizing resources to see how best we can respond."
MSF's project coordinator Sylvain Penicaud estimates there are only three liters of water per person per day in the camps, which is "way below the basic need" and forces people to draw from contaminated sources.
Zubaida Ismail Ishaq, seven months pregnant, lies in a tent clinic, gaunt and exhausted. Her story reflects the trauma faced by many. She used to trade when she had a little money before fleeing el-Fasher. Her husband was captured by armed men on the road to Tawila, and her daughter has a head injury. Zubaida and her mother contracted cholera shortly after arriving in the camp. "We drink water without boiling it," she said. "We have no one to get us water. Since coming here, I have nothing left."
Back in el-Fasher, women clustered at the soup kitchen appeal for help—any kind of help. "We're exhausted. We want this siege lifted," said Faiza Abkar Mohammed. "Even if they airdrop food, airdrop anything—we're completely exhausted."
