WFP Warns: Hundreds of Thousands Facing Starvation in Besieged El Fasher

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The World Food Programme (WFP) has sounded the alarm over a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, where hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped under siege and face imminent starvation.

“Everyone in El Fasher is engaged in a daily struggle to survive. After more than two years of war, people have completely exhausted all coping mechanisms,” said Michael Dunford, WFP Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa.

According to WFP, some residents are surviving on animal fodder or scraps of food, while community kitchens have shut down and the prices of basic goods have skyrocketed due to blocked trade routes and supply lines. Reports also point to widespread violence, looting, and sexual assaults inside the city.

WFP continues to provide digital cash transfers to around 250,000 people in El Fasher, enabling them to buy the dwindling food supplies available in markets. However, the agency stressed that this assistance is insufficient given the scale of needs, calling for large-scale delivery of in-kind food aid.

“The World Food Programme is ready with trucks loaded with food aid to send to El Fasher, but we urgently need guarantees for safe passage,” said Corinne Fleischer, WFP Director of Supply Chain and Assistance Delivery.

Across Sudan, nearly 25 million people – half the country’s population – are facing acute food insecurity, including 3.5 million women and children suffering from malnutrition. WFP is appealing for 645 million to sustain its emergency food, cash, and nutrition operations in Sudan over the next six months.

“People will die without immediate and sustained humanitarian access to El Fasher,” Dunford warned.