EL FASHER – The Emergency Rooms Coordination Council in North Darfur has issued what it described as its “final plea before complete collapse,” warning of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe in El Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur State. In a statement reviewed by Sudans Post, the council painted a grim picture of life under siege, saying more than 1.5 million people are now trapped without access to food, medicine, or safe shelter.
Describing the situation as a “silent genocide,” the council said the humanitarian emergency has reached a breaking point after more than a year of relentless blockade and attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF has encircled El Fasher since mid-2024 as part of its campaign to seize the city, the last stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Darfur.
According to the statement, food prices have soared beyond the reach of most residents. The price of a single sack of millet , a dietary staple, has reached 6 million Sudanese Pounds (Around $2000), an amount few can afford. In one of the most harrowing details, the council reported that some children have been forced to eat animal feed to survive.
“The markets are entirely empty. Hospitals have no medicine or electricity. patients are dying in tents without any care,” the statement read. The council urged for the immediate and unconditional opening of humanitarian corridors to deliver food, water, and life-saving medical aid. “The situation cannot endure any further delays or hesitation,” it added.
The humanitarian crisis in El Fasher has been compounded by daily artillery shelling and ground attacks. Reports from local sources and humanitarian monitors confirm widespread damage to civilian infrastructure and severe disruptions to essential services. The siege has not only cut off humanitarian aid but has also led to mass displacement within the city, forcing families to shelter in overcrowded schools and makeshift camps.
Public health conditions are rapidly deteriorating. Cholera has reportedly spread across parts of North Darfur, particularly in displacement camps where access to clean water and sanitation is scare. The North Darfur Health Emergency Operation Center also reported new cases of measles this week, further straining the collapsed healthcare system.
Despite multiple appeals by civil society and international organizations, humanitarian access to El Fasher remains blocked. Aid agencies warn that the city is heading toward full-scale famine and disease outbreak unless urgent and unhindered relief is permitted.
This latest statement by the Emergency Council echoes warnings made in recent week by local doctors, aid workers, and UN bodies, all of whom describe the situation in El Fasher as one of the worst humanitarian emergencies in Sudan’s ongoing conflict.
With the death toll rising, food supplies exhausted, and public health systems in ruins, El Fasher is now facing what many described as a man-made disaster spiraling into mass death, unless the world intervenes in time.
