The United Nations’ food agency has issued a warning about starvation risks for families trapped in the besieged Sudanese city of el-Fasher. The World Food Programme (WFP) reported that road deliveries of food to el-Fasher, located in the western Darfur region, have been impossible for over a year. The city has been encircled by paramilitary forces from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for nearly 16 months in a bid to capture it from Sudan’s army.
This warning from the WFP coincides with local activists reporting starvation-related deaths within the city, which still houses around 300,000 residents. A civil war erupted in Sudan in April 2023 due to a severe power struggle between the army and the RSF, leading to a drastic humanitarian crisis.
UNICEF, the UN’s children’s agency, highlighted widespread malnutrition across the country, with many children critically undernourished. The WFP’s alert echoes a call from North Darfur Governor Al-Hafiz Bakhit for urgent assistance, describing the situation in el-Fasher as intolerable.
Bakhit supports Sudan’s military-led government, which seeks to maintain control of the area, its last stronghold in Darfur. The RSF has intensified efforts to capture el-Fasher after being expelled from Khartoum.
UN data in early July revealed that 38% of children under five in camps for displaced persons around el-Fasher faced severe malnutrition. Seriously limited food supplies have drastically increased prices, forcing residents to consume animal feed and food waste.
While the WFP did not identify the blocking party, it noted that the RSF disrupted trade routes and severed supply lines into the city. “Every day is a struggle for survival in el-Fasher,” said Eric Perdison, WFP’s regional director for eastern and southern Africa. “Survival mechanisms have been depleted after years of conflict. Without immediate access, there will be fatalities.”
The WFP also shared the story of Sondos, an eight-year-old girl who fled el-Fasher with her family, describing the city as bombarded with hunger and shelling. The agency has food and nutritional aid ready for delivery, awaiting RSF approval for a pause in hostilities to enable access.
In June, the UN called for a week-long humanitarian truce following an attack on a convoy bound for el-Fasher, with conflicting blame between the army and RSF. Sudan’s state news reported that Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the military leader, agreed to a temporary ceasefire.
Though the RSF officially remained silent, advisers indicated the group rejected the ceasefire, believing it would allow supplies to the army’s forces. They claimed the establishment of “safe passages” for civilians to exit the city.
Last month, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that over one million people fled el-Fasher since the conflict started, including those from Zamzam camp, captured by the RSF in April.
The BBC has collected testimonies of civilians fleeing due to increased bombings and RSF-allied raids. The WFP noted limited success in delivering aid to other parts of Darfur, warning that the rainy season could reverse these efforts by blocking roads.
Unicef’s representative in Sudan, Sheldon Yett, stated conditions in central Sudan were gradually improving after military gains allowed aid worker access. However, funding shortages hinder aid efforts, referring to reductions under US President Donald Trump’s administration.
“It is a looming catastrophe,” he said. “We risk irreversible damage to children not due to lack of knowledge or tools, but a collective failure to respond to the crisis’s urgency. We need to reach these children.”