Sudan: El-Fasher faces famine as supplies cut off, UN says
The UN has warned that "everyone" in the besieged capital of North Darfur was under a daily struggle to survive, with food prices soaring and no access to humanitarian aid.
Thousands of people in the besieged capital of Sudan's North Darfur state, El-Fasher, are in danger of starvation, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
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The rebel group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has sought to seize El-Fasher since May 2024. It is the last major city in North Darfur still under the Sudanese government's control.
Around 300,000 people remain in the besieged city under increasingly desperate conditions, according to UN figures.
In April, a major attack by RSF killed hundreds in the Zamzam displacement camp just outside El-Fasher, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee to the cityImage: Maxar Technologies/AP/picture alliance
What did the UN say about El-Fasher?
The WFP said food prices in El-Fasher rose by 460 per cent compared to the rest of the country, forcing soup kitchens to shut while aid remains blocked.
"Everyone in El-Fasher is facing a daily struggle to survive," said Eric Perdison, the WFP's regional director for eastern and southern Africa.
The UN said it had been unable to deliver food to the city by land for more than a year due to blocked access routes.
"We have not had access to the horrible situation unfolding in El-Fasher, despite trying for months and months and months," UNICEF's Sheldon Yett said after visiting Sudan.
Last year, the UN declared famine in the displacement camps surrounding El-Fasher. It was estimated that starvation would take hold in the city by May this year, but a lack of data has prevented an official famine declaration.
What is the situation in Sudan?
Since April 2023, the war has killed tens of thousands across Sudan, displaced more than 12 million and left 26 million at risk of hunger. The UN describes it as the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.
In March, the Sudanese army pushed out the RSF from its positions in Khartoum, raising hopes for a turning point in the war.
Yett said relative calm may have returned to Khartoum, but children there still have only "limited, but growing access to safe water, food, healthcare and learning."
"Children are dying from hunger, disease and direct violence," said Yett, calling it a "looming catastrophe."
"We are on the verge of irreversible damage to an entire generation of children."
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