As starvation and disease grip the region, local voices call for urgent assistance and relief.
**Alarm Bells Ring for El-Fasher: Civilians Face Tragedy Amid War**
**Alarm Bells Ring for El-Fasher: Civilians Face Tragedy Amid War**
Rare footage reveals the dire situation civilians face in besieged Sudanese city of El-Fasher.
The community kitchen in the beleaguered Sudanese city of El-Fasher portrays a harrowing scene as distressed women gather, voicing their anguish. "Our children are dying before our eyes," one woman tells us, expressing helplessness against a backdrop of worsening conditions. The relentless civil conflict has driven food prices to astronomical heights, rendering a week’s worth of meals unaffordable for local families. There have been devastating claims that starvation is being wielded as a weapon of war.
The hunger crisis is exacerbated by a dangerous cholera outbreak affecting the camps housing those displaced by the fighting. Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has reported that Sudan is experiencing its worst cholera surge in years, with nearly 100,000 cases and over 2,400 fatalities in the past twelve months. El-Fasher has become a focal point of this outbreak.
With footage sourced from local activists, the grim reality of life in El-Fasher is captured in dramatic detail. The Sudanese army’s conflict with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has intensified, especially after their recent loss in the capital, Khartoum. The RSF has since tightened their grip on El-Fasher, which is now one of the fiercest battlegrounds in the ongoing conflict.
Local kitchens have resorted to making do with what little scraps they can find, as the availability of staple foods like flour has dwindled significantly. Volunteers have pivoted to using ambaz—a leftover product from peanut oil extraction—while the threat of starvation hangs heavy in the air. “We’ve reached a point of desperation,” laments one kitchen manager.
International agencies are calling for a humanitarian pause to facilitate the delivery of essential aid, yet the RSF claims that such a truce might be manipulated to supply their own forces. Amidst skyrocketing market prices, Mathilde Vu from the Norwegian Refugee Council notes that a sum that once provided ample food for a week is now scarcely enough for a single meal.
Casualties from malnutrition are mounting, as hospitals struggle to manage the crisis with depleted resources and staff. Dr. Ibrahim Abdullah Khater of Al Saudi Hospital conveys despair as he recounts children waiting for treatment that cannot be provided. “They are just waiting for their death,” he states candidly.
Reports from various NGOs indicate systematic attacks on civilians are being employed as a strategy to demoralize the population through hunger and abuse. These groups assert that attempts to escape El-Fasher are hindered by blockades and violence.
While many fled the horrors of El-Fasher, having left the Zamzam displaced persons camp, their journey is riddled with further violence and exploitation. Those arriving in safer locations still face the looming threat of cholera, born from unsanitary conditions.
Although aid workers can at least access Tawila, they are constrained by resource shortages and face looming dangers. Water access is critically low, with an estimated three liters per person per day—far fewer than the minimum needed for survival.
The narrative of suffering continues with pregnant women like Zubaida Ismail Ishaq, who recounts personal tragedy amid the health crisis. Having lost contact with her husband and having succumbed to cholera herself, her story mirrors countless others.
As the appeal for assistance grows louder, residents clamoring for relief from the siege urge, “We want this siege lifted. Airdrop food, airdrop anything—we’re exhausted.” The appeals for international intervention echo the plight of so many trapped in this ongoing disaster.
The hunger crisis is exacerbated by a dangerous cholera outbreak affecting the camps housing those displaced by the fighting. Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has reported that Sudan is experiencing its worst cholera surge in years, with nearly 100,000 cases and over 2,400 fatalities in the past twelve months. El-Fasher has become a focal point of this outbreak.
With footage sourced from local activists, the grim reality of life in El-Fasher is captured in dramatic detail. The Sudanese army’s conflict with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has intensified, especially after their recent loss in the capital, Khartoum. The RSF has since tightened their grip on El-Fasher, which is now one of the fiercest battlegrounds in the ongoing conflict.
Local kitchens have resorted to making do with what little scraps they can find, as the availability of staple foods like flour has dwindled significantly. Volunteers have pivoted to using ambaz—a leftover product from peanut oil extraction—while the threat of starvation hangs heavy in the air. “We’ve reached a point of desperation,” laments one kitchen manager.
International agencies are calling for a humanitarian pause to facilitate the delivery of essential aid, yet the RSF claims that such a truce might be manipulated to supply their own forces. Amidst skyrocketing market prices, Mathilde Vu from the Norwegian Refugee Council notes that a sum that once provided ample food for a week is now scarcely enough for a single meal.
Casualties from malnutrition are mounting, as hospitals struggle to manage the crisis with depleted resources and staff. Dr. Ibrahim Abdullah Khater of Al Saudi Hospital conveys despair as he recounts children waiting for treatment that cannot be provided. “They are just waiting for their death,” he states candidly.
Reports from various NGOs indicate systematic attacks on civilians are being employed as a strategy to demoralize the population through hunger and abuse. These groups assert that attempts to escape El-Fasher are hindered by blockades and violence.
While many fled the horrors of El-Fasher, having left the Zamzam displaced persons camp, their journey is riddled with further violence and exploitation. Those arriving in safer locations still face the looming threat of cholera, born from unsanitary conditions.
Although aid workers can at least access Tawila, they are constrained by resource shortages and face looming dangers. Water access is critically low, with an estimated three liters per person per day—far fewer than the minimum needed for survival.
The narrative of suffering continues with pregnant women like Zubaida Ismail Ishaq, who recounts personal tragedy amid the health crisis. Having lost contact with her husband and having succumbed to cholera herself, her story mirrors countless others.
As the appeal for assistance grows louder, residents clamoring for relief from the siege urge, “We want this siege lifted. Airdrop food, airdrop anything—we’re exhausted.” The appeals for international intervention echo the plight of so many trapped in this ongoing disaster.
