Starvation Looms in Sudan's El-Fasher as Siege Continues

The World Food Programme (WFP) has raised alarms regarding the extreme starvation threat facing families in el-Fasher, a besieged city in Sudan’s Darfur region. The UN agency reported it has been unable to deliver food supplies via road for over a year. El-Fasher has been encircled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for nearly 16 months as they battle for control against Sudan's army.As the WFP’s warning coincides with activists’ reports of deaths from starvation within the city, it emphasizes the critical humanitarian crisis impacting around 250,000 residents, exacerbated by the civil war that ignited in April 2023, now deemed the world’s worst humanitarian situation. Prices for available food resources have skyrocketed, forcing many to resort to consuming animal feed and waste products. "Everyone in el-Fasher is facing a daily struggle to survive," stated WFP’s regional head for Eastern and Southern Africa, Eric Perdison. The continuous war has exhausted coping strategies, making it crucial that humanitarian access is granted urgently to prevent widespread loss of life. An eight-year-old girl named Sondos, who fled el-Fasher with family, recounted the horrors of her home, stating, "In el-Fasher there was a lot of shelling and hunger. Only hunger and bombs," while mentioning they survived on minimal millet rations. Though the WFP has food supplies ready to distribute, safe passage for the convoys remains elusive. A previous attempt to deliver aid in June was met with violence, leading the UN to advocate for a humanitarian ceasefire in the area, although future aid efforts are uncertain amidst ongoing conflict.The civil war has resulted in devastating casualties, with estimates of over 150,000 lives lost since 2023 and approximately 12 million people displaced from their homes, feeding into ongoing fears of a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan.