Al-fasher: Some 300,000 civilians in the besieged city of Al-Fasher, the last stronghold for the Sudanese Army in Darfur, are suffering from diseases and starvation, with some resorting to eating animal fodder to survive.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have laid a tight siege on the city since local armed groups allied with the army, preventing the entry of food and necessities. The RSF, engaged in multiple conflicts with the army across Sudan, has targeted relief convoys, including a June attack on a 15-truck convoy carrying essential supplies in northern Darfur.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned in December of impending starvation in the camps of Zamzam and Abu Shok. Famine has become a harsh reality in Al-Fasher, with a UN report confirming severe hunger levels, marking level five on the UN scale.
A local health official reported 63 deaths, primarily women and children, in one week due to malnutrition, while the Sudan Doctors Network noted 239 child deaths from hunger in the first half of the year. Many deaths reportedly go unaccounted outside hospitals. UN statements indicate 40 percent of children under 15 in Al-Fasher suffer from malnutrition, with 11 percent in acute conditions.
Food and necessary supplies have been hindered by funding shortages, violence, attacks on relief convoys, and the August rainy season. The World Food Programme (WFP) has urged for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to aid the estimated 300,000 trapped residents. Leni Kinzli, the WFP communications chairperson in Sudan, described the situation as dire, noting no aid has reached residents in over a year. Field reports confirm some families have resorted to consuming animal fodder.
Food is prepared for delivery, but a ceasefire and assurances from the parties, particularly the RSF, are needed to secure regular entry of personnel and supplies. The WFP has attempted to bypass the siege by sending money via banks, but this is a short-term solution that cannot replace regular supply deliveries.
Store shelves in the city are bare, and prices for some available and smuggled goods are exorbitant. Recently, the local "Al-Fasher resistance committees" announced the closure of free-food kitchens. Adama Rejal, spokesperson for the displaced and refugees' general coordination committee, described the residents' plight as a slow death due to the lack of basic materials and supplies, with animal fodder becoming the primary food source.
Hamid Haroun, a journalist in Al-Fasher, highlighted the dire conditions, stating, "He who does not die from the shelling, dies from starvation." Haroun emphasized that entry of food supplies depends on the warring parties' willingness to allow convoy passage, while the August rains have made roads impassable. He suggested airdropping supplies as the only viable solution.
Some residents have turned to consuming oil seed residues, which are particularly unhealthy for children.