Ahmed Abdul Rahman can hear the thud of artillery from where he lies in a makeshift cluster of tents in the Sudanese city of el-Fasher. The 13-year-old boy was injured in a recent shelling attack.
I feel pain in my head and my legs, he says weakly.
For 17 months the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have besieged el-Fasher, located in their ethnic heartland of Darfur, and now they're closing in on key military sites in the city. The conflict in Sudan broke out in 2023 following a power struggle between the top commanders of the RSF and the Sudanese army.
After losing control of the capital Khartoum, the paramilitaries have stepped up efforts to seize el-Fasher - the army's last stronghold in the western Darfur region. Army-held territory has shrunk to a pocket around the airport. For the tens of thousands of civilians trapped inside the city, each day is a nightmare.
The siege and fighting make it very difficult to get reliable information, but the BBC has worked with freelance journalists inside el-Fasher to get an insight into life for those trapped there.
Warning: This story contains graphic details that some people may find distressing.
Ahmed's whole body is full of shrapnel, says his mother Islam Abdullah. His condition is unstable. But with hospitals coming under fire and running out of supplies, medical care is scarce.
Nearby, Hamida Adam Ali is unable to move; her leg is badly injured. She lay on the road for five days after being hit by shell fire, before she was carried to the camp for people displaced by the conflict.
I don't know if my husband is dead or alive, she says. My children have been crying for days because there is no food. Sometimes they find something to eat and sometimes they go to bed without food. My leg is rotting - it smells foul now. I am just lying down. I have nothing.
The RSF have made significant advances in recent weeks, having released footage showing their fighters near the military's headquarters.
In past few days, RSF has posted a video of soldiers cheering the arrival of much-needed supplies delivered by airdrops. In the media warfare that frames the battles, RSF fighters celebrate what they portray as imminent victory in el-Fasher. Seizing control of this city would give them a strategic advantage in the civil war, easing their access to resources and solidifying their power in the region.
This dramatic struggle reflects the dire humanitarian conditions in el-Fasher where residents face severe shortages of food, medical care, and safety amidst ongoing violence.
As the situation in el-Fasher continues to deteriorate, the international community watches closely, fearing for the lives of those still trapped within the city's boundaries.
