CARE, SUDAN – 20 August 2025 – The siege of El Fasher, which has been ongoing for over one year, has deepened the acute humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan. Families fleeing North Darfur continue to pass through or settle in East Darfur, where CARE Sudan delivers health, water, cash, livelihood, and protection services. Staff hear heartbreaking testimonies every day from new arrivals. They describe the desperate conditions in El Fasher and Tawila—where starvation, disease, and constant fear have become part of daily survival. Many of these new arrivals recently shared how they had to pass deadly desert routes in order to get to East Darfur. With the main roads blocked by fighting and checkpoints, thousands are walking for days under scorching heat without food or water. Some have died along the way, while others, lost in the desert, have yet to be traced.
“We lost everything. My kids hid in groundwater tanks to avoid rockets,” Ahmed, a father who fled El Fasher after his home was damaged and his family scattered, described. “When we escaped, we trekked on foot for days in unbearable heat. People left everything behind just to survive. When we tried to use the main road, at checkpoints, we were harassed and robbed. I saw families carrying the sick for days, only for them to die along the way. In East Darfur camps, food is almost nonexistent. Those outside camps get nothing at all.”
The conflict in El Fasher, which began hours after fighting erupted in Khartoum on April 15, 2023, has left the city encircled. Families remain trapped amid heavy bombardment, where rockets and air-dropped supplies alike have damaged homes and killed civilians. El Fasher has been under siege and cut off from humanitarian aid for over a year. Prices for basic goods have soared to unimaginable levels. One sack of sorghum that cost $100 before the conflict now exceeds $2,000. With no money and no functioning markets, many are resorting to eating animal fodder made from groundnut husks.
The UN indicated that 17 areas are classified as at risk of famine, including Darfur and the Nuba Mountains. This follows a confirmation of Famine in some areas in Sudan as of August 2024. Recent reports show that over 825,000 children remain trapped in and around El Fasher and Zamzam IDP camp, with severe acute malnutrition cases in Darfur increasing by 46% since April 2025 . At the same time, 640,000 children are at risk of contracting cholera, which has ravaged Sudan since July 2024. Other reports indicate that access to besieged areas remains severely constrained . With aid routes cut off or disrupted by insecurity, overcrowding, and lack of clean water in displacement sites, the risk of cholera and other deadly diseases . Women and girls in Sudan face the constant threat of systematic conflict-related sexual violence. The UN has warned many times about the serious and widespread violations of international humanitarian law. It has also raised alarm about the risk of ethnically motivated persecution, with civilians suffering crimes against humanity,
All this is happening as funding cuts continue to hamper the delivery of humanitarian aid and services. Only 23.2% of the humanitarian response plan is funded, a clear indication of how humanitarian organizations are struggling to reach those most in need. The cuts have severely impacted community kitchens run by local women-led organizations, which in turn have undermined communities’ opportunities to support themselves. And as resources shrink, the risk of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment is rising.
“The situation in East Darfur is worsening by the minute as funding cuts take their toll,” said Abdirahman Ali, Country Director of CARE Sudan. “Families fleeing the siege arrive exhausted, hungry, and traumatized after weeks on foot through the desert, yet humanitarian access is collapsing. Deliberate aid obstruction, unpredictable permits, and flooded, impassable roads are cutting off the areas hardest hit by conflict. Local organizations—especially women-led groups—are bearing the brunt despite being at the forefront of the response during Sudan’s gender emergency. Without urgent international support to break these barriers and deliver life-saving aid, countless lives will be lost.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
CARE Sudan urges an immediate scale-up of humanitarian funding, especially for women-led organizations and survivors of sexual violence. But funding alone is not enough. Attacks on civilians and aid workers must stop, the siege on El Fasher must be lifted, and a sustained ceasefire must be secured. Safe, unimpeded access to people in need across Sudan is essential, and third States must act now to end violations and ensure accountability. Without decisive action, countless lives—especially women and children—are at imminent risk.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
