El Fasher, February 26, 2025 (DNHR) The Darfur Network for Human Rights (DNHR) expresses grave concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in El Fasher, North Darfur, where the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) siege has entered its ninth month, triggering severe food shortages and an alarming surge in prices. The continued blockade has cut off essential supplies, placing hundreds of thousands of civilians at extreme risk of famine, disease, and further displacement.
Reports from traders and residents indicate that local storehouses are nearly empty, with the siege preventing new supplies from entering the city. The closure of key supply routes, including those from Tawila, Kabkabiya, and Tina, has severely impacted food availability. The destruction of markets, such as the Zamzam camp market and the partial closure of the Naivasha market in the Abu Shouk IDP camp, has exacerbated the crisis, leaving civilians with little to no access to basic goods.
Alarming food price increases include:
A 25 kg sack of lentils rising from 140,000 to 160,000 SDG
A 50 kg sack of sugar climbing from 280,000 to 310,000 SDG
A sack of onions increasing from 220,000 to 245,000 SDG
A barrel of water now costing 5,000 SDG, further burdening residents already struggling to survive.
Additionally, the livestock market—a crucial economic and food resource—has been completely shut down due to relentless artillery shelling, which has killed and injured civilians. The RSF’s ongoing attempts to seize the Sixth Infantry Division in El Fasher, the last Sudanese army stronghold in Darfur, have devastated economic activity and worsened humanitarian conditions.
Urgent Calls for Action
The DNHR strongly condemns the use of siege tactics that deliberately starve civilians and violate international humanitarian law. We call for immediate and coordinated international intervention to prevent a large-scale famine and further atrocities.
We urge:
The United Nations, African Union, and international humanitarian agencies to demand an immediate lifting of the blockade and facilitate urgent food, water, and medical aid deliveries to El Fasher.
The warring parties adhere to international humanitarian law and ensure safe humanitarian corridors for aid to reach affected civilians.
The international community impose targeted sanctions on those responsible for the siege and violations against civilians in El Fasher.
Humanitarian organizations scale up their response, mobilizing resources to prevent mass starvation and further displacement.
The DNHR stands in solidarity with the people of El Fasher and reaffirms its commitment to exposing human rights violations and advocating for urgent relief and justice. We call upon all stakeholders to act immediately before the crisis deepens into an irreversible catastrophe.
