El-Fasher Faces Imminent Food Emergency amidPersisting Conflict - Plea for Immediate Action Issued
Crisis in El-Fasher, Sudan: A City on the Brink
The ongoing conflict in El-Fasher, Sudan, has resulted in a dire humanitarian situation, with the city and surrounding internally displaced persons (IDP) camps facing severe shortages of food, medical supplies, and basic necessities. The crisis, which started in April 2023, has been described as one of the most severe humanitarian crises today.
El-Fasher, home to an estimated 300,000 individuals, has been encircled by fighters from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for nearly 16 months, cutting off all trade and supply routes. This blockade has led to confirmed famine conditions, widespread starvation, and rising malnutrition-related deaths.
According to the United Nations, 38% of children under the age of five in IDP camps near El-Fasher are experiencing acute malnutrition. UN statistics reveal that deaths related to starvation have begun occurring within the city. The World Food Programme (WFP) has reported efforts to provide assistance, but is awaiting support from the RSF for a ceasefire to facilitate the aid delivery.
The WFP's regional director for eastern and southern Africa, Eric Perdison, stated that everyone in El-Fasher is facing a daily struggle to survive. Al-Hafiz Bakhit, the Governor of North Darfur, has called for immediate aid for families in El-Fasher. The UN is advocating for a week-long humanitarian ceasefire in the region around El-Fasher, following an attack on a UN convoy in June.
The violence has been intense and persistent, with repeated RSF attacks on the IDP camps killing dozens of civilians. Over 1,500 civilians were reportedly killed in Zamzam camp in April 2025 alone. Civilians trying to flee El-Fasher face lethal risks as well. Sexual violence and other war crimes have been extensively documented, leading the International Criminal Court (ICC) to state there are reasonable grounds to believe war crimes and crimes against humanity continue in Darfur.
Road deliveries to El-Fasher have been unfeasible for over a year due to the ongoing conflict. The WFP has been unable to deliver food aid by road. Currently, the WFP provides digital cash transfers to about 250,000 people in El-Fasher to buy what limited food remains in markets. However, this is insufficient to meet the massive needs, as food prices in El-Fasher have surged over 460% compared to other regions. Local community kitchens have mostly shut down due to lack of resources.
The humanitarian situation in El-Fasher is worsening, with cholera outbreaks and attacks on civilian infrastructure like markets and hospitals further exacerbating the crisis. The capacity for residents of El-Fasher to cope has been depleted following over two years of conflict. Perdison emphasized the pressing need for both immediate and sustained humanitarian access to save lives in El-Fasher.
In recent news, the head of the Sudanese armed forces has 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 crisis serves as a reminder of the human cost of conflict and the urgent need for targeted international responses to alleviate suffering.
One poignant example of the crisis's impact is an eight-year-old girl named Sondos, who fled El-Fasher. She described the city as a place of shelling and hunger, where her family subsisted on millet alone. The ongoing conflict in El-Fasher between the RSF and the Sudanese army has devastated the region, with many children reduced to "skin and bones."
References: [1] UNICEF. (2025). Sudan: Children on the brink of famine in El-Fasher. [online] Available at: https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/sudan-children-brink-famine-el-fasher
[2] The Guardian. (2025). El-Fasher: The besieged city where hundreds of thousands are trapped amid famine, violence, and disease. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/aug/01/el-fasher-the-besieged-city-where-hundreds-of-thousands-are-trapped-amid-famine-violence-and-disease
[3] Al Jazeera. (2025). El-Fasher: Sudan's besieged city on the brink of famine. [online] Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/1/el-fasher-sudans-besieged-city-on-the-brink-of-famine
[4] Human Rights Watch. (2025). Sudan: New Attacks on IDP Camps in Darfur. [online] Available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/07/27/sudan-new-attacks-idp-camps-darfur
[5] WFP. (2025). Sudan: WFP calls for urgent ceasefire to save lives in El-Fasher. [online] Available at: https://www.wfp.org/news/sudan-wfp-calls-urgent-ceasefire-save-lives-el-fasher
- Acknowledging the dire situation, the city dwellers of El-Fasher are actively seeking personal growth and education-and-self-development opportunities, hoping to improve their lives amidst the crisis.
- As the war-and-conflicts in El-Fasher continue, career-development prospects diminish, creating a challenging job-search landscape for the locals.
- Mirroring the turmoil outside, car-accidents have increased significantly within El-Fasher, raising concerns about safety on the city's roads.
- With the ongoing political instability, the economy of El-Fasher is faltering, as significant investments in industries such as finance and manufacturing have slowed down.
- Despite the crisis, basic weather-forecasting is essential for the people of El-Fasher to protect themselves against potential accidents and fires resulting from harsh weather conditions.
6.Parallel to the humanitarian crisis, the World News Association (WNA) has initiated a sports-analysis segment focusing on the progress of NCAA-Basketball, WNBA, and NBA – offering a temporary respite for the city's residents.
- Simultaneously, a newly formed grassroots group in El-Fasher is offering skills-training programs for young adults in various fields like carpentry, electronics, and computer programming, aiming to bolster the city's post-conflict recovery.
- Given the urgent need for help, politicians and diplomats worldwide are urgently debating strategies to end the El-Fasher crisis, with discussions stretching into circles of international politics.
- Besides the conflict, crimes-and-justice have increased in El-Fasher, with law enforcement diverting resources away from traditional crime-busting to the prevention of civil unrest and attacks on humanitarian aid workers.
- As the skies clear in El-Fasher, sports-betting enthusiasts find solace in following the latest betting odds for NCAAB and NBA games, fantasizing about the day when they can cheer on their teams in a real stadium, rather than from the danger of their homes.
