The Sudanese city of Al Fashir has been under siege for more than 500 days, with 300,000 civilians trapped inside. Due to the civil war in Sudan, the city has been under siege from the terrorist organisation Rapid Support Forces since April 2024. The UN has received reports of unlawful killings, abductions and arbitrary detention — alongside indiscriminate attacks on markets, hospitals and places of worship.
AL FASHiR OCTOBER 1: The Sudanese city of Al Fashir has been under siege for more than 500 days, with 300,000 civilians trapped inside – about half of them thought to be children. Last week the United Nations described the city, in Sudan’s western Darfur province, as the “epicentre of suffering”. Thousands there are struggling to find food, and an upsurge in drone attacks has killed dozens of civilians this month.
It is very difficult to report from inside Al Fashir, but a local journalists trapped inside the city has documented what life is like for those who remain there.
Al-Fashir or El Fasher is the capital city of North Darfur, Sudan. It is a city in the Darfur region of southwestern Sudan. The city serves as an agricultural marketing point for the cereals and fruits grown in the surrounding region. Due to the civil war in Sudan, the city has been under siege from the terrorist organisation Rapid Support Forces since April 2024. Journalists in El-Fasher are trapped under siege, enduring violence, hunger, and relentless bombardment alongside the people whose lives they report on.
Satellite imagery from Yale’s School of Public Health shows the RSF has built earthen walls around almost the entire city. No international aid has reached El-Fasher in more than 16 months, with convoys carrying large-scale humanitarian supplies blocked or attacked by the RSF. After the RSF lost control of the capital, Khartoum, in March, El-Fasher has become the epicentre of violence.
The UN has received reports of unlawful killings, abductions and arbitrary detention — alongside indiscriminate attacks on markets, hospitals and places of worship. Under international humanitarian law, civilians must be protected. Safe passage must be guaranteed for those who wish to leave the city. Exit routes need to remain open, secure and accessible.
