Community kitchens close in Sudan’s besieged El Fasher as food runs out
October 5, 2025 (EL FASHER) – Community kitchens feeding thousands of besieged residents in Sudan’s El Fasher have shut down after running out of food, volunteers said on Sunday, raising fears of a deepening humanitarian catastrophe in the North Darfur capital.
The city’s population has been living under a strict siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2024, with continuous clashes exacerbating critical shortages. Local and international aid groups have repeatedly warned of imminent famine if safe corridors for aid are not established.
A supervisor at one kitchen, which had provided daily meals for over 3,000 people, said they were unable to operate on Sunday.
“We have no food supplies available in the city,” he told Sudan Tribune, adding that “all attempts to secure new supplies have completely failed.”
Recent RSF drone attacks have accelerated the breakdown of food access. A volunteer reported that over the past two weeks, drones bombed alternative markets residents relied on, including the “Abu Qurun” station market. Dozens of small shops were also destroyed, triggering a near-total collapse of living conditions.
In recent weeks, the RSF has also deployed drones capable of penetrating underground shelters built by the army and allied forces, further tightening its grip on the city and enabling its forces to advance into new neighbourhoods.
A statement by the El Fasher Resistance Committees Coordination painted a grim picture of the economy, noting the price of a sack of “ambaz” — once used for animal fodder but now a staple food — has hit two million Sudanese pounds amid extreme scarcity.
“The humanitarian disaster in the city has surpassed bearable limits,” the statement read, confirming that most kitchens had closed after being unable to afford even “ambaz,” let alone millet or rice.
The committees called the situation a “dangerous indicator of the deterioration of living and humanitarian conditions,” and urged “urgent intervention from humanitarian and international bodies to save the remaining lives.”
The RSF has been accused of a systematic campaign to forcibly displace the population by destroying critical infrastructure. The campaign has included the levelling of El Fasher’s main markets, health facilities, water sources, and places of worship.