WFP Warns Starvation Risk in Besieged El-Fasher, Sudan

The city of el-Fasher in North Darfur, Sudan, has been under siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for over a year, leading to a dire humanitarian crisis with thousands of families facing starvation. The RSF has blocked all major roads, cutting off humanitarian access and causing prices for staple foods to soar by up to 460 percent compared to other parts of Sudan. The World Food Programme (WFP) has been unable to deliver food aid by road, offering only limited digital cash support to about 250,000 residents, which is insufficient to meet the massive needs. Community kitchens and essential services have largely collapsed, and civilians are surviving on animal fodder and food waste amid escalating violence, looting, and sexual assaults. Acute malnutrition is especially severe among children, with nearly 40 percent of those under five suffering from malnutrition in displaced persons camps around the city. The WFP and local officials warn that without immediate and sustained humanitarian access, lives will continue to be lost in this escalating conflict between the RSF and Sudanese armed forces.