Sudan's city of El Fasher under prolonged siege for half a year: "No Sudanese citizen lives with certainty"
In the heart of Sudan, the city of El Fasher, once the largest in the west and capital of North Darfur, is now the epicentre of a devastating humanitarian crisis. Approximately 260,000 people still reside in El Fasher, half of whom are minors, struggling to survive amidst the chaos.
The situation deteriorated dramatically after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries attempted to seize power from the army on April 15, 2024. Since then, nearly eight million Sudanese have sought refuge in other towns within the country, with El Fasher being the hardest hit.
El Fasher's largest health centre was hit by a projectile, resulting in the death of several doctors and patients. The city is now so severe that Mohamed Faisal, a local official, believes the figure of 900,000 people affected by malnutrition is too low. Leaving El Fasher is considered a suicide mission due to snipers posted at the exits, forcing thousands to stay and endure the hardships.
Thousands have managed to traverse the 70 kilometers separating El Fasher from Tawila, a refuge for over 500,000 people who have fled El Fasher or the Zamzam internal displacement camp. Tawila has become one of the last places to seek medical attention, with the organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) providing significant medical support amidst the severe humanitarian crisis in the region.
The MSF representative in Tawila predicts that the malnutrition in Sudan will have "consequences for an entire generation due to the malnutrition suffered by almost all the children in the country." The people in Tawila are forced to consume oilseed cake residues, which are normally used to feed animals, due to food scarcity and high prices.
The RSF have maintained a siege on El Fasher for over 500 days, making the delivery of humanitarian aid impossible. As a result, more than 12 million Sudanese have already fled their homes to survive, with four million crossing borders as refugees in neighboring countries. The situation in Sudan is so dire that it is currently facing the greatest humanitarian tragedy in the world in 2025.
Despite the hardships, half of Sudan's fifty million inhabitants still do not know if they will eat or have to flee their homes. The number of people seeking refuge continues to grow, with nearly eight million already displaced within Sudan and millions more crossing borders. The future remains uncertain for the people of Sudan, but one thing is clear: the crisis is far from over.
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