El-Fasher Faces Serious Food Shortage Due to Ongoing Conflict - Urgent Call for Assistance Issued
In the heart of Sudan's Darfur region, the city of El-Fasher is facing an extremely severe humanitarian crisis, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). The city has been under siege for over a year by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), leading to acute food shortages, soaring prices, and deteriorating living conditions.
The regional director for eastern and southern Africa at the WFP, Eric Perdison, stated that everyone in El-Fasher is facing a daily struggle to survive, and their capacity to cope has been depleted following over two years of conflict. Conditions in El-Fasher have become increasingly unlivable, prompting calls for immediate assistance.
Basic food items like sorghum, which cost $100 before the conflict, now exceed $2,000 due to blocked trade routes and market collapse. Many families are forced to eat animal fodder and food waste to survive. Severe acute malnutrition cases have increased by 46% in Darfur since April 2025, and over 60 people died of malnutrition in one week recently.
The humanitarian crisis has also resulted in violence against civilians, with repeated attacks by RSF on displacement camps including Abu Shouk, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries. These attacks constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law, including killings, sexual violence, and allegations of summary executions. Civilians attempting to flee face looting, sexual assault, kidnapping, and killings.
Efforts for a ceasefire or humanitarian pause have been called for by international actors. The UN, EU, and multiple donors have urged warring parties to allow unimpeded humanitarian access and protect civilians. Diplomatic calls emphasise the responsibility of the RSF and military forces to comply with international humanitarian law and prior commitments made in Jeddah. However, despite these calls, the siege and attacks on humanitarian workers and sites persist, severely restricting aid delivery and safe exit routes.
The UN is advocating for a week-long humanitarian ceasefire in response to an attack on a UN convoy in June, which highlighted the region's instability. Malnutrition rates among children in Sudan are critical, with alarming levels being confirmed by UNICEF. Reports from local activists indicate that deaths related to starvation have begun occurring within El-Fasher, home to an estimated 300,000 individuals.
In recent assessments, UN statistics revealed that 38% of children under the age of five in internally displaced persons camps near El-Fasher are experiencing acute malnutrition. The head of the Sudanese armed forces has publicly agreed to a temporary truce, but the RSF's response has been less clear, leading to uncertainty about the possibility of accessing critical supplies.
The ongoing conflict in El-Fasher has devastated the region, leading to one of the most severe humanitarian crises today. The Governor of North Darfur, Al-Hafiz Bakhit, supports the military-led government and has echoed the call for immediate aid for El-Fasher. Many children in Sudan are described as "reduced to skin and bones," adding urgency to the need for humanitarian aid.
The city of El-Fasher has been encircled by fighters from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for nearly 16 months. Road deliveries to El-Fasher, located in the Darfur region, have been impossible for over a year due to the city being besieged. The World Food Programme (WFP) has reported multiple efforts to provide assistance to El-Fasher, but trucks are awaiting support from the RSF for a ceasefire to facilitate aid delivery.
The ongoing crisis in Sudan serves as a reminder of the human cost of conflict and the urgent need for targeted international responses to alleviate suffering. It is a power struggle between the RSF and the Sudanese army, with no end in sight. The situation in El-Fasher is critical, and immediate action is required to prevent further loss of life and suffering.
- In addition to the ongoing humanitarian crisis, the region of El-Fasher in Sudan is also experiencing a stagnation in education-and-self-development and personal-growth due to the prolonged conflict and unfavorable living conditions.
- Amidst the violence, corruption, and violations of international humanitarian law, the political landscape of Sudan remains mired in war-and-conflicts, leaving little room for priorities like general-news, crime-and-justice, and institutional developments.
- As the international community rallies to address the immediate humanitarian needs in El-Fasher, attention must also be paid to long-term strategies supporting rebuilding after the conflict, including education, personal-growth, and infrastructure developments as key components of recovery and preventive measures against future crises.
