Hunger mounts, cemeteries grow in Sudan's besieged al-Fashir
Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur state, is the biggest remaining frontline in the region between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), under fire at a pivotal point in a civil war well into its third year.
"The RSF's artillery and drones are shelling al-Fashir morning and night," one resident told Reuters. Electricity was completely shut down, bakeries were closed and medical supplies scarce, he said.
"The number of people dying has increased every day and the cemeteries are expanding."
The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 when the former allies clashed over plans to integrate their forces. The RSF made quick gains in central Sudan, including the capital Khartoum, but the army pushed them westward this year, leading to an intensification in fighting in al-Fashir.
The city's fall would give the RSF control over nearly all of Darfur, a vast region bordering Libya, Chad, Central African Republic and South Sudan, and pave the way for what analysts said could be Sudan's de facto division.
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Hundreds of thousands of people under siege in the Sudanese army's last holdout in the western Darfur region are running out of food and coming under constant artillery and drone barrages, while those who flee risk cholera and violent attacks. Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur state, is the biggest remaining frontline in the region between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), under fire at a pivotal point in a civil war well into its third year. "The RSF's artillery and drones are shelling al-Fashir morning and night," one resident told Reuters. Electricity was completely shut down, bakeries were closed and medical supplies scarce, he said. "The number of people dying has increased every day and the cemeteries are expanding." The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 when the former allies clashed over plans to integrate their forces. The RSF made quick gains in central Sudan, including the capital Khartoum, but the army pushed them westward this year, leading to an intensification in fighting in al-Fashir. The city's fall would give the RSF control over nearly all of Darfur, a vast region bordering Libya, Chad, Central African Republic and South Sudan, and pave the way for what analysts said could be Sudan's de facto division.
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