Humanitarian Crisis Deepens in El-Fasher Amid Escalating Conflict in Sudan

Mon Oct 20 2025 23:48:24 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

El-Fasher faces a grave humanitarian situation as the Rapid Support Forces' siege leads to severe food shortages and escalating civilian casualties, raising concerns of potential war crimes.

The city of El-Fasher in Sudan is experiencing a desperate humanitarian crisis as food supplies run out due to a siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Recent reports from Yale University indicate that RSF's actions may constitute war crimes, with over 60 new burial mounds identified in the last two weeks. The local resistance committee has stated that not only have all food supplies vanished, but even alternative sources of sustenance are no longer available. With approximately 300,000 people trapped in the city, calls for humanitarian aid and a cessation of hostilities grow more urgent by the day.

Humanitarian Crisis Deepens in El-Fasher Amid Escalating Conflict in Sudan

El-Fasher is on the brink of disaster as food runs out for its residents due to a relentless siege imposed by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Satellite images from Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab reveal alarming evidence of civilian targeting by the RSF, which raises grave concerns regarding war crimes.

According to Caitlin Howarth of Yale's HRL, analysis of satellite imagery shows an alarming increase of over 60 new burial mounds created in just two weeks, indicating a spike in civilian casualties as the RSF tightens its grip with a 35-mile earthen barrier around the city.

Local residents report that they are completely trapped and food supplies have been entirely depleted. The resistance committee for el-Fasher conveyed the dire state, stating, There is nothing left to eat today - all food supplies have run out, further complicating the humanitarian crisis, as even alternative food sources like peanut residues have vanished.

The RSF's siege strategy has escalated since the onset of Sudanese civil war in April 2023, leading to a large-scale targeting of non-Arab ethnic populations by allied militias. The situation in el-Fasher is particularly perilous, with a communications blackout further complicating verification of reports from inside the city.

Research reveals that attacks on shelters, mosques, and community kitchens have led to at least 174 deaths, highlighting the severe human toll and the urgent need for humanitarian intervention. Howarth emphasizes that these targeted attacks can amount to crimes against humanity and calls for immediate cessation of violence, ensuring safe passage for civilians seeking to escape the horrors of the siege.

As conditions worsen for the estimated 300,000 residents still in el-Fasher, the urgent call for international humanitarian aid and intervention grows louder.