Inhabitants of besieged Sudanese city 'pushed to the edge of survival'

The besieged Sudanese city of El Fasher has been declared "uninhabitable" with data indicating critical levels of malnourishment among people trapped there.

- Mark Townsend

The city is enduring constant artillery and drone attacks, forcing its 250,000 starving people into a shrinking urban enclave. For 549 days El Fasher has been surrounded by fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have prevented all humanitarian access into the city as it attempts to seize the army's last stronghold in west Sudan.

Testimonies from households accounting for almost 900 people who have recently fled the city - others have been abducted and killed by the RSF for trying to escape - confirm a population "pushed to the edge of survival".

The interviews, coordinated last month by US-based humanitarian group MedGlobal, offer a first detailed assessment of life under siege. More than 90% residents reported their homes had been destroyed, damaged or looted. A quarter of households had experienced a death within the previous three months.