Sudan: El Fasher civilians starved as notorious RSF destroys food kitchens

The Sudanese city of El-Fasher, capital of North Darfur, is suffering a deliberate campaign of starvation and destruction, residents and aid workers say, after the notorious paramilitary, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), destroyed charitable food kitchens, looted hospitals, and cut off routes out of the besieged city.

Survivors who spoke to The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed described El Fasher as a "city of ghosts", where civilians are trapped without food, medicine, or safe passage while RSF fighters go on a rampage.

"We faced torture, hunger, and killing," said one displaced man who fled to the nearby town of Tawila. "Even the donkey carts used by the elderly and children were destroyed to stop people from escaping."

According to residents, the RSF’s campaign has targeted the tekayas - charitable kitchens that once provided daily meals to the poor - along with markets and water infrastructure. "The tekayas were the only refuge people had," said Mohammad Othman, who ran one of them.

"After the militias entered, they destroyed everything that kept them running and killed many of the workers. They wanted people to die of hunger."

Sit al-Nafr Mahmoud, who fled the city last week with her children, said: "El Fasher has become a ghost city. Movement is dangerous and mostly banned. All essential services have collapsed - water, food kitchens, and markets are gone. Life has become unbearable, especially for children and the elderly. Even our homes were looted."

Witnesses said the RSF has also used extortion to control who can leave.

"They are forcing people to pay millions of Sudanese pounds to be allowed out," one displaced resident said. "Those who can’t pay are trapped."

Women fleeing the city described being searched by RSF fighters. "We never imagined they would strip-search women for money and gold," said Aisha Ismail. "Some were forced to leave one woman behind so the others could escape."

Others spoke of young men being ransomed. "They set prices for people," said one witness. "For example, 500,000 pounds for a man in exchange for letting his wife and children go."

Many reported that those who could not pay were detained or disappeared, amid reports of a wave of torture and killings, including of women and children, after RSF troops captured the city last week.

A local health official who managed to escape said all hospitals and clinics in El-Fasher had been destroyed or looted. "Medicines were stolen, pharmacies burned, and patients killed on the pretext that they were army soldiers," he said. "The city is collapsing - people are dying of hunger and disease, and those still inside are only thinking of how to escape."

Humanitarian access remains almost impossible, while workers say they face arbitrary arrest, harassment, and threats. Around 15 tonnes of medical supplies are reportedly awaiting clearance but remain blocked by security and administrative restrictions.

"People are eating leaves," said a journalist now displaced in Tawila. "There are no medicines, no food, and no intravenous fluids."

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said the entry of RSF forces into El-Fasher had triggered "mass panic" among civilians already trapped in the besieged city for more than 500 days, with around 260,000 people newly displaced.

The International Organisation for Migration reported - via the UN - that more than 1,500 people were displaced last week from North and South Kordofan due to the activities of the RSF.

Aid agencies warn that without urgent access, starvation and disease could claim thousands more lives in Darfur, where communication networks have collapsed and escape from El-Fasher remains nearly impossible.