Sudanese groups warn of ‘annihilation’ in besieged El Fasher, demand aid access
July 31, 2025 (EL FASHER) – A coalition of Sudanese political and civil groups on Thursday demanded the opening of humanitarian corridors into the besieged North Darfur city of El Fasher, warning that a siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) threatens the “annihilation” of its population.
The groups accused the paramilitary RSF of war crimes, including deliberately starving the city’s residents, and called for an immediate ceasefire.
Most staple foods, such as millet and sorghum, are unavailable in El Fasher, and residents have relied on “ambaz,” the residue of peanuts and sesame after oil extraction, for months. However, this resource is also about to run out, according to the coalition’s joint statement.
“We condemn the brutal siege on El Fasher,” the statement said, holding the RSF responsible for “killing, starvation, terror, and the targeting of civilians, as well as health and service facilities.”
The RSF has blocked aid and supply routes to El Fasher since April 2024. The groups said the RSF has destroyed most water sources, markets, and hospitals, creating a catastrophe for the 300,000 civilians still trapped in the city.
The statement demanded the withdrawal of the RSF from around the city and the establishment of internationally supervised corridors for food, medicine, and fuel.
The humanitarian situation has deteriorated sharply. Hospitals are non-operational amid outbreaks of cholera, and a United Nations assessment on July 8 showed 38% of children under five in the city’s displacement camps were suffering from acute malnutrition.
“Many residents of El Fasher have been forced to eat animal feed (‘ambaz’) to survive,” the statement read.
It added that the coalition was following with “deep concern and profound pain the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe… which has escalated in recent weeks to levels that threaten the annihilation of the city and its inhabitants.”
The coalition called for an independent investigation and the activation of international accountability mechanisms for war crimes.
“The battle for life in the city is our battle all, and silence is complicity,” the statement said.
Signatories included the National Umma Party, the Democratic Unionist Party – Original, the Unionist Alliance, and several resistance committee groups.