In El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, civilians are trapped in what aid agencies describe as Sudan’s worst battlefield. Those who remain face bombardment and famine, while those who try to leave risk assault or death.
For nearly 18 months, the city has been under siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have even built a 30-kilometer dirt wall encircling it.
Conditions inside the city are catastrophic. El Fasher’s only functioning hospital has been bombed more than 30 times, and doctors say they admit 30 to 40 severely malnourished children every day. Families survive on animal fodder, while a packet of pasta sells for 70 dollars—ten times its usual price.
The conflict, which erupted in 2023 between Sudan’s army and paramilitary forces, has displaced more than 12 million people.
Sudan’s war began more than two years ago, when clashes erupted between the national army and the RSF. The conflict has engulfed Africa’s third-largest country, killing tens of thousands, displacing about 12 million people, and pushing millions more to the brink of starvation.
UN food convoys have been unable to reach El Fasher for over a year. Attempts to deliver aid have been met with drone strikes from unidentified forces.
In June, an attack on a 15-truck convoy killed five aid workers; another last month destroyed three vehicles and forced the rest to turn back.
