Sudanese struggle to survive in cities starved under siege

HUNDREDS of thousands of Sudanese civilians trapped in cities under paramilitary siege are struggling to survive, foraging for anything to eat as no aid has been allowed in, more than two years into their country’s war.

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We spoke to people in three besieged cities still nominally under army control, but which are surrounded by paramilitary forces: North Darfur state capital El-Fasher, and South Kordofan’s Kadugli and Dilling.

Here is what the survivors say:

“The bombing is constant, we spend most of our time in the shelter we dug in front of our house,” said Omar Adam, who fled with his family from the Abu Shouk displacement camp on the city’s outskirts, which paramilitary fighters have overrun.

Since August, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have intensified artillery and drone attacks, in a push to seize Darfur’s last major city still under army control, which they have besieged for 18 months.

“We have nothing left. Even ambaz has grown scarce,” he said, referring to an animal feed made from peanut shells which many in El-Fasher have survived on for months.

“Even if we decide to leave, we fear the militias will catch us, and the journey is too expensive”