Hunger claims dozens of children and elderly people in besieged El-Fashir

El-Fashir – Asda Sudanese

The Humanitarian Aid Commission in North Darfur State has revealed the deaths of 229 people, including 171 children and 58 elderly individuals, due to hunger in the city of El-Fashir since late August, following the tightening of the siege imposed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the city, which has led to a complete shortage of food supplies.

According to a report obtained by Sudan Tribune, the total number of deaths in the city resulting from the siege and ongoing fighting has reached 675, while 1,464 people have been injured — among them hundreds of women and children.

More than 74,000 residents, including 38,000 children, are enduring catastrophic living conditions inside the besieged city.

The report noted that many residents are now surviving on Ombaz — a byproduct of groundnuts or sesame after oil extraction — as their only source of food.

The report further stated that only six charitable kitchens (takiya) continue to operate regularly to provide meals, while 15 others have partially halted operations due to a lack of funding and mounting security threats.

In light of this worsening humanitarian disaster, HAC called for immediate action to lift the siege on El-Fashir and to deliver urgent food supplies through air drops. It also stressed the need to open safe corridors for the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of the wounded, as well as to ensure the provision of essential medical supplies to the few health centers still functioning in the city.