El-Fasher, Sudan — Residents in El-Fasher are living on the edge, facing water shortages, destroyed homes, and a looming famine after the city’s takeover by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in October. This week, a small UN humanitarian team made its first visit in nearly two years, and what they found was brutal.
Denise Brown, the United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, described El-Fasher as a "crime scene." She and her team only had a few hours on the ground after intense negotiations with the RSF, but they saw enough to know the situation is dire. Basic services like water and sanitation have collapsed, and many homes lie in ruins.
"These people are living in very precarious situations," Brown said. She also warned that there are likely detainees still held by the RSF, but access to them was denied during the visit.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been torn by a conflict between the regular army and its former allies, the RSF. El-Fasher fell to the RSF after more than 500 days of siege, turning a city that once held over a million people into what Brown calls Sudan’s "epicentre of human suffering."
With famine on the horizon, aid agencies are racing against time to restore life-saving services. For now, residents wait — thirsty, hungry, and traumatized. 😔🚰🆘
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
