Hunger kills 171 children in Sudan’s besieged El Fasher, report says

October 18, 2025 (EL FASHER) – At least 171 children and 58 elderly people have died of hunger in the besieged North Darfur city of El Fasher since late August, after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) cut off food supplies, a local humanitarian commission said.

Traders had warned last week that food had completely run out after the RSF encircled the city with earth barriers, trapping tens of thousands of civilians.

In a report seen by Sudan Tribune, the Humanitarian Aid Commission said the total death toll from the fighting and siege had reached 675, with another 1,464 people injured.

More than 74,000 civilians, nearly half of them children, are trapped inside the city, the report said. It added that the population was resorting to eating “al-ambaz,” a sorghum typically used for animal fodder, to survive.

Aid efforts have collapsed, with only six community soup kitchens still operating fully, while 15 others have been forced to scale back due to funding shortages and security threats.

The commission called for an immediate lifting of the siege to allow for food airdrops and the creation of safe corridors for aid and medical evacuations. It also urged support for the city’s failing health sector.