Part 1 of this three part interview examines the humanitarian and geopolitical crisis in Sudan as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) encircle the Sudanese Armed Forces’ (SAF) last stronghold in Darfur: El Fasher.
DET is joined by Sudanese journalist, Muammar Ibrahim, a Sudanese journalist from Darfur with over six years of frontline reporting experience for Al Jazeera, Al Mamlaka TV, and Arabi Post. He has covered protests, war, and humanitarian crises across Sudan, including from besieged El Fasher.
What is happening in El-Fasher, why is the humanitarian situation severe... if not worse than Gaza, and why is the international community turning a blind eye to taking action?
Editor-in-Chief, Gus Anderson: Good Morning Muammar Ibrahim, thank you for joining me from Sudan specifically El Fasher today.
Sudanese Journalist, Muammar Ibrahim: Hello Anderson, I am a journalist Muammar Ibrahim from El Fasher city in Sudan’s Darfur region. It is a pleasure to be with you today.
El Fasher city is beseiged right now, its people are going through huge suffering due to the war between the SAF and RSF.
The Humanitarian and Military Situation: El Fasher
Editor-in-Chief, Gus Anderson: Firstly, as a SAF stronghold, what is the humanitarian and military situation in El Fasher currently?
Sudanese Journalist, Muammar Ibrahim: As for the press inquiries put forward to us about the humanitarian and military situation in the city of El Fasher. If we start off with the humanitarian situation; El Fasher is under a choking siege by the RSF who are bombarding the city until the moment of conducting this interview.
You could hear the bangs of explosions ringing out intensively across the city even in the place from which I am recording this interview. Thus, the city’s situation is extremely dire and horrible. The city is grappling with a tremendous humanitarian crisis and a ceasefire blockade by the RSF in place since May 2023.
This blockade is affecting nearly 1.5 million people, and there are about 800, 000 displaced people due to the war in El Fasher.
Malnutrition, Displacement, and Destruction
The people here suffer from acute food, clean water, and sanitation shortages particularly the basic services like water, electricity, and other basic services.
Yet there is acute malnutrition spreading among children here, with nearly 597 reported cases in the city’s refugee camps and the camps to which people have fled in Al-Tawira and other regions. There are no accurate official tallies regarding the deaths and injuries since there is no reporting infrastructure in these regions.
The people here are suffering from a harsh and bitter humanitarian situation, especially in the city of El Fasher.
RSF Bombs Civillian Infrastructure
You can hear the loud bangs, as I speak to you now, caused by the RSF whose forces shell homes, marketplaces, camps of the displaced, and mosques; everywhere in the city has tasted the wounds of
The city now lays in ruins and ashes due to its bombardment, which has not stopped… not even for one minute, it is continuing right now as I speak to you on this interview.
We had been denied even five minutes, before recording today, to record this interview.
Civilians in the Dark
We don’t know whats going on and the world is ignoring the suffering of the people here.
As for the operational situation in the city, it is witnessing intensive battles between the SAF and RSF. In light of these developments, the locals are experiencing harsh conditions that require urgent solutions to end this tragedy as soon as possible.
The city’s citizens, besieged and starved, must be rescued. Silence cannot be the solution to such a grave crisis. This tragedy must stop.
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