Hunger and Bombs Ravage Besieged Civilians in Sudan’s El Fasher

Families who fled fighting in El Fasher seek refuge in Tawila in North Darfur.

UN human rights chief Volker Türk has expressed outrage over Monday’s deadly large-scale attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia on El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state, which has been besieged by the RSF since April last year.

At least 57 civilians were killed in the attack, which included the Abu Shouk displacement camp on the outskirts of the city. The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) is also following up on allegations of summary executions there.

“It is with dismay that we yet again witness unimaginable horror inflicted upon civilians in El Fasher, who have endured over a year of siege, persistent attacks, and dire humanitarian conditions,” said Mr. Türk.

“Such repeated attacks on civilians, which raise serious concerns under international humanitarian law, are totally unacceptable and must stop.”

Between January and June, the RSF—battling the military government for control of Sudan for over two years—attacked the Abu Shouk camp at least 16 times, killing at least 212 and injuring 111 others.

“Once again, I am raising the alarm about the serious risk of ethnically motivated persecution as the RSF tries to seize control of El Fasher and Abu Shouk camp,” Mr. Türk stressed, reiterating his call to protect civilians and urging humanitarian pauses in besieged areas to reach those in need.

UN human rights officials recently interviewed survivors of the RSF’s devastating assault on Zamzam camp, 15 kilometres south of El Fasher, where famine was confirmed in August 2024.

Testimonies corroborated previous documentation of serious human rights abuses during a deadly attack on Zamzam camp in April 2025, including killings, widespread rape and gang rape, enforced disappearances, and torture.

“I urge third States to use all their influence to put an end to these violations,” said Mr. Türk. “Accountability is crucial to break this cycle of persistent and egregious violations.”

A year after famine was first confirmed in Zamzam, hundreds of thousands remain trapped in El Fasher, cut off from World Food Programme (WFP) assistance and facing worsening hunger.

Trade routes and supply lines into El Fasher are blocked, causing soaring prices and shutting down most community kitchens.

Some residents reportedly survive on animal fodder and food waste.

“Everyone in El Fasher is facing a daily struggle to survive,” said Eric Perdison, WFP’s Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa.

“Without immediate and sustained access for humanitarians,” Perdison added, “lives will be lost.”

Sudan’s conflict, which began in April 2023, has created the world’s largest hunger crisis: around 25 million people—half the country’s population—face acute hunger, and 3.5 million women and children suffer from malnutrition.

Many victims of the Zamzam camp attack and those suffering from hunger in El Fasher have fled to the Tawila camp, 75 kilometres away.

“Hunger forced us to leave,” said eight-year-old Sondos, who fled with her family after weeks of surviving on millet.

“There was only hunger and bombs,” she testified, with shells raining down on the city.

Another Tawila resident, 47-year-old Mohamed, travelled from Zamzam to El Fasher before reaching Tawila.

People died of thirst along the way, he said. “Many were begging for water. Each person had only one sip—just enough to reach their stomach.”

Even in Tawila, the camp’s makeshift tents offer little protection from the rainy season.

For Tawila’s roughly 400,000 residents, WFP rations of high-energy biscuits, sorghum, vegetable oil, and salt are often their only food.

They are among the four million Sudanese that WFP supports monthly.

This assistance has helped reduce catastrophic hunger in parts of Central and West Darfur. However, these gains are fragile: “WFP is ready with trucks full of food assistance to send into El Fasher,” says Corinne Fleischer, WFP’s Director of Supply Chain and Delivery. “We urgently need guarantees of safe passage.”

The RSF has yet to agree to a pause in fighting to allow humanitarian goods into the city.