The city of El Fasher in Darfur has faced famine for over a year. Today, hundreds of thousands of people still trapped in El Fasher face starvation. Some residents are reportedly surviving on animal fodder and food waste. Sudan is currently the only place in the world where famine has been officially declared in multiple locations.
EL FASHER AUGUST 13: Over the last two and a half years, a brutal civil war between the Sudan Armed Forces and the terrorist organisation Rapid Support Forces has killed tens of thousands. Over 14 million Sudanese, more than a quarter of the population, have been displaced by the war. Stephanie Sy reports on the city of El Fasher in Darfur, which has faced famine for over a year. A warning, images in this story are disturbing.
Today, hundreds of thousands of people still trapped in El Fasher face starvation, as the city remains cut off from World Food Programme (WFP) and other humanitarian assistance. The hunger crisis comes one year after famine was first confirmed in the country. Since then the situation, especially in El Fasher, has only gotten worse, as the country’s devastating war grinds on.
Some residents are reportedly surviving on animal fodder and food waste. And while WFP continues providing digital cash support to roughly a quarter-million people in the city, allowing them to buy the dwindling food left in the markets, the assistance dwarfs the escalating needs – making it imperative to deliver in-kind assistance to address hunger at scale.
With trade routes and supply lines into El Fasher blocked, prices have soared, including for staples like flour or sorghum. Community kitchens, set up to feed hungry people, have largely stopped functioning.
Sudan is currently the only place in the world where famine has been officially declared in multiple locations, according to the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
In addition to the famine, nearly 100,000 cholera cases have been reported in Sudan in the past year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Some private initiatives to alleviate the famine in Sudan have been taken by some kind-hearted Sudanese people – while others are trying to cast suspicion on and obstruct these initiatives.
