A dire humanitarian crisis has unfolded in the Sudanese city of El Fasher, where famine has been officially declared in a displacement camp. The UN-backed Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fews Net) confirmed on Thursday that people are starving to death in the Zamzam camp, located just outside the capital of North Darfur. The network also warned that similar conditions may exist in the nearby Abu Shouk and Al Salam camps.
Approximately 600,000 people, many of whom have been displaced by ongoing conflict, are currently living in camps around El Fasher. The situation has reached a critical point as the city’s population swells due to the influx of people fleeing violence from other parts of the Darfur region.
El Fasher has been under siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries for several months. The RSF, which is attempting to wrest control of the city from the Sudanese army, has already seized other major cities in the region. The siege has severely restricted the transport and cultivation of food, exacerbating the already dire situation.
Fews Net, which only declares famine when mortality rates reach extreme levels, reported that evidence of such conditions has been present in Zamzam camp for up to two months. “Without an end to this conflict, and in the absence of large-scale humanitarian food assistance, extreme human suffering will persist,” said Lark Walters, a decision support adviser at Fews Net.
The ongoing conflict has crippled food supplies, with staple grains now costing up to 180% more than the three-year average. The last harvest from late 2023 has long been exhausted, leaving the population dependent on dwindling reserves.
Mohammed Qazilbash, Sudan country director for the child rights charity Plan International, emphasized the gravity of the situation: “This situation was entirely preventable, and the international community must not waste another moment. With the lean season under way, without urgent action, the number of children and families facing starvation will only grow.” He noted that no food assistance has reached Zamzam since April, when the RSF intensified its attacks on El Fasher.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a medical charity, reported that its trucks carrying essential supplies have been blocked by the RSF outside El Fasher, preventing critical medicine and food from reaching those in need. Stéphane Doyon, head of MSF’s emergency response in Sudan, warned that their supplies of therapeutic food are nearly depleted, with only enough left to last a few more weeks. “Already, many children there are at death’s door. These supplies are needed to save their lives,” Doyon said.
The crisis has been further compounded by repeated attacks on healthcare facilities. MSF reported that the Saudi hospital in El Fasher, which it supports, was shelled this week — the 10th such incident involving hospitals in the city since April.
As the conflict drags on and humanitarian aid remains obstructed, the situation in El Fasher’s displacement camps grows increasingly desperate. Urgent international intervention is needed to prevent further loss of life and alleviate the suffering of the hundreds of thousands of people trapped in this humanitarian disaster.
