Residents of el-Fasher, a city under siege in Sudan’s Darfur region, are now facing extreme hunger, with reports of people resorting to eating animal feed and scraps to survive. The dire situation comes after more than a year without reliable food deliveries, as fighting between warring factions has cut off vital supply routes.
The city, home to around 250,000 people, has been encircled by paramilitary forces for 16 months, leaving civilians trapped with dwindling resources. Prices for basic goods have skyrocketed, and aid agencies warn that without immediate intervention, starvation will claim more lives.
One eight-year-old girl, who recently escaped with her family, described the desperate conditions: “There was nothing but hunger and bombs.” Many others remain inside, struggling to find even meager portions of millet to sustain themselves.
Humanitarian organizations have prepared food convoys but face dangerous obstacles. A recent aid delivery was attacked, with both sides in the conflict blaming each other. The UN continues to push for a temporary ceasefire to allow assistance to reach those in need.
Sudan’s civil war, which began in April 2023, has spiraled into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Over 150,000 people have died, and millions have been displaced. In Darfur, the violence has raised fears of genocide, echoing past atrocities in the region.
With no end to the fighting in sight, the people of el-Fasher remain trapped between war and starvation, their survival hanging in the balance.
