In the besieged Sudanese city of el-Fasher, the echoes of despair resonate within the makeshift community kitchens where families congregate, struggling against an unyielding tide of hunger and suffering. "Our children are dying before our eyes," one mother, visibly distressed, shared with a BBC correspondent. "They are innocent and caught up in a conflict that has nothing to do with them." With drastic food shortages crippling the community, the cost of basic meals has surged alarmingly—what once filled a week’s needs can now barely cover one meal.
International humanitarian organizations have sharply criticized the deliberate strategy of using starvation as a war tactic, as the situation grows dire amidst a rampant cholera outbreak among those displaced by ongoing conflict. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported this week that nearly 100,000 cases of cholera have emerged over the past year, compounded by the civil war's devastation, particularly in el-Fasher.
The fighting in el-Fasher has intensified dramatically, with the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) embroiled in a prolonged struggle for control. The RSF, having lost ground in the capital Khartoum, ramped up their blockade of the city, driven by the goal of seizing the last stronghold of the armed forces in Darfur. As violence escalated this week, civilians bore the brunt of the attacks.
Providing rare insight into life in the city, the BBC has obtained footage from inside el-Fasher, illustrating the harrowing realities faced by residents. In one scene, an improvised kitchen struggles to prepare meals, relying on remnants like ambaz—the refuse from peanut oil extraction, typically intended for livestock. "Now we eat ambaz," sighed a kitchen manager. "There is no flour or bread left."
The United Nations has reiterated its plea for a humanitarian pause to facilitate the delivery of aid, as they await confirmation from the RSF to allow essential supplies into the area. The response from RSF advisers has been defensive; they argue that any ceasefire would risk supplying the army with resources rather than aid for stranded civilians.
As the humanitarian landscape deteriorates, local health facilities strive against overwhelming demands amid underfunding and supply shortages. One pediatrician lamented, "We have many malnourished children admitted, but unfortunately, there is no specialized food available." The absence of nutritious sustenance is leading to numerous fatalities among the poorest and most vulnerable, with death tolls rising daily.
Refugees who have successfully fled from el-Fasher describe harrowing journeys filled with violence and extortion. They find themselves arriving in towns like Tawila, where they confront another set of challenges, including disease outbreaks and dire living conditions exacerbated by limited access to clean water.
For the women clustered at the soup kitchen, hope is fading as they call for urgent assistance. "We want this siege lifted," pleaded one woman. "Even if they airdrop food, anything would help. We are completely exhausted." As the humanitarian crisis unfolds, the pleas for support grow louder, but the international community's response remains uncertain. Sudan's citizens endure a catastrophic existence battling starvation and a relentless cholera outbreak, pleading for relief that remains agonizingly out of reach.
