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In war-torn Darfur, Sudan, civilians trapped in the city of El-Fasher are enduring a dire humanitarian crisis as the civil conflict enters its second year. “She left no last words. She was dead when she was carried away,” recounts Hafiza, her voice soft, detailing the tragic death of her mother amidst the relentless violence in the besieged city.
Life Under Siege in El-Fasher
Hafiza, a 21-year-old resident, documented the abrupt disruption of her family’s life following her mother’s death. Her testimony is one of several obtained via phones provided by the BBC World Service to individuals caught in the crossfire in El-Fasher.
El-Fasher has been largely isolated from the outside world for a year under persistent bombardment, preventing journalists from safely accessing the area. For their protection, only first names are used for individuals sharing their experiences and personal accounts through the BBC phones.
A Young Woman’s Burden
Hafiza describes the instant shift in her responsibilities, suddenly becoming the caretaker for her five-year-old brother and two teenage sisters.
Their father had passed away prior to the commencement of the conflict, a civil war that has set the Sudanese army against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), triggering a major humanitarian emergency.
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Hafiza has dedicated herself to aiding displaced individuals in El-Fasher through volunteer work, including the distribution of essential supplies such as blankets and sustenance.
Previously allies who jointly seized power in a coup, the army and RSF forces clashed over a proposed transition to civilian leadership, backed by international entities.
El-Fasher, Hafiza’s hometown and a key city in Sudan’s Darfur region largely held by the military, has been under RSF siege for a year.
Tragically, in August 2024, her mother was killed when a shell struck the marketplace where she sold household items.
“Grief overwhelms me; I still cannot bring myself to revisit her workplace,” Hafiza confesses in a recent video message sent shortly after receiving a BBC phone following her mother’s untimely death.
“My days are spent weeping in solitude at home.”
Accusations of War Crimes
Both factions in the ongoing conflict face accusations of war crimes and deliberate targeting of civilian populations, allegations both sides refute. The RSF has also denied accusations from the US and human rights organizations regarding genocide against non-Arab communities in Darfur regions they have seized.
Controlling access in and out of El-Fasher, the RSF occasionally permits civilians to leave. Hafiza managed to evacuate her siblings to reside with family in a safer zone.
However, she remained behind, striving to earn income to support her family.
In her messages, she details her days spent distributing essential supplies like blankets and water to displaced people in shelters, contributing at a community kitchen, and assisting a breast cancer awareness group in exchange for minimal financial assistance to survive.
Her nights are spent in isolation.
“Memories of my mother and siblings in our home are constant. I feel utterly broken,” she laments.
Mostafa’s Experience of Relentless Shelling
In nearly every video sent by 32-year-old Mostafa, the constant sounds of artillery fire and gunfire are audible.
“We are subjected to continuous bombardment, both during the day and night, by the RSF,” he reports.
Upon returning home from a family visit, Mostafa discovered his residence near the city center had been struck by artillery shells, causing significant damage to the roof and walls. Looters had ransacked the remnants.
“Everything was overturned. Most homes in our neighborhood have been pillaged,” he states, attributing the destruction to the RSF.
While volunteering at a shelter for displaced individuals, the area came under heavy bombardment. He continued recording, capturing his reactions of fear with each explosion.
“No place in El-Fasher is secure,” he asserts. “Even refugee settlements are being targeted by artillery fire.
“Death can strike anyone, at any moment, without warning—whether by bullet, shelling, starvation, or dehydration.”
Mostafa’s home suffered damage from shelling and was subsequently looted.
In another recording, he addresses the scarcity of potable water, explaining residents are forced to consume water sources contaminated by sewage.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
Mostafa and 26-year-old Manahel, also a recipient of a BBC phone, both volunteer at community kitchens sustained by donations from Sudanese expatriates.
The United Nations has issued warnings of impending famine in the city, a crisis that has already unfolded in the nearby Zamzam camp, housing over 500,000 displaced individuals.
Accessing markets is difficult for many, “and those who do find exorbitant prices,” Manahel clarifies.
“Every family faces the same struggle now – wealth is no differentiator. People cannot afford essential items like food.”
The meals Manahel helps prepare often represent the only nourishment available to many.
After preparing meals like rice and stew, they distribute the food to shelters. For numerous individuals, this is their single meal of the day.
Manahel’s Loss and Displacement
Manahel had recently completed her university studies in Sharia and law when the war erupted.
As fighting intensified in El-Fasher, she relocated with her mother and six siblings to a safer location, farther from the conflict’s front lines.
“You lose your home, all possessions, and find yourself in a new environment with nothing,” she recounts.
However, her father refused to abandon their home. Entrusted with neighbors’ belongings, he chose to stay to protect them—a decision that ultimately cost him his life.
She recounts his death in September 2024, caused by RSF artillery fire.
Manahel and her family were forced to abandon their home due to its proximity to the escalating conflict.
El-Geneina: Echoes of Fear
The UN estimates that nearly 2,000 individuals have been killed or wounded in El-Fasher since the siege commenced a year prior.
Following sunset, residents seldom venture outside. The absence of electricity amplifies the fear during nighttime for El-Fasher’s million inhabitants.
Individuals possessing solar power or batteries are hesitant to use lights, fearing “detection by drones,” Manahel explains.
Communication with Manahel and others was often disrupted for days due to intermittent internet access.
Beyond these concerns, a shared and profound fear haunts Manahel and Hafiza should El-Fasher fall under RSF control.
“As a girl, I fear sexual assault,” Hafiza expresses in one of her messages.
Originating from non-Arabic communities, Hafiza, Manahel, and Mostafa’s fears are rooted in the atrocities witnessed in other RSF-controlled cities, notably El-Geneina, situated 250 miles (400km) west of El-Fasher.
Deserted residences and structures mark some neighborhoods in El-Geneina.
El-Geneina witnessed horrific mass killings in 2023, categorized along ethnic lines, which the US and others have declared as potential genocide. RSF combatants and allied Arab militias allegedly targeted non-Arab ethnic groups, such as the Massalit, accusations the RSF has consistently denied.
A Massalit woman in a Chad refugee camp recounted her gang rape by RSF fighters, leaving her unable to walk for nearly two weeks. The UN reported instances of girls as young as 14 being subjected to rape.
Another witness described observing a massacre by RSF forces, escaping only after sustaining injuries and being left for dead.
The UN estimates between 10,000 and 15,000 fatalities in El-Geneina in 2023 alone. Over a quarter of a million residents, half of the city’s former population, now reside in refugee camps in Chad.
Queries regarding these accusations were directed to the RSF, but no response was received. However, the group has previously denied involvement in ethnic cleansing in Darfur, attributing the acts to imposters wearing RSF uniforms to defame them.
Limited Access and Controlled Narratives in El-Geneina
Access for reporters to El-Geneina has been severely restricted since these events. Following protracted negotiations with civil authorities, a BBC team was granted access in December 2024.
Armed RSF units conducting patrols in El-Geneina.
Minders from the governor’s office were assigned, limiting observations to pre-approved locations and interactions.
RSF control was immediately apparent, with fighters patrolling in military vehicles. A brief interaction with some fighters included them displaying an anti-vehicle RPG launcher.
A starkly different perception of the conflict became evident. An RSF commander asserted the absence of civilians like Hafiza, Mostafa, and Manahel in El-Fasher.
“Anyone remaining in a war zone is a combatant; there are no civilians. They are all affiliated with the army,” he declared.
He insisted El-Geneina was peaceful, with “around 90%” of residents having returned and previously vacant homes reoccupied.
However, hundreds of thousands of El-Geneina’s residents remain refugees in Chad. Numerous deserted and demolished neighborhoods were visible during travels through the city.
Minders guided the visit to a market in El-Geneina where vendors indicated inflated food prices.
Under the watchful eye of minders, obtaining a genuine account of life in El-Geneina proved challenging. At a crowded vegetable market, inquiries about living conditions resulted in cautious responses.
Individuals would glance at the minder before confirming that everything was “fine,” only mentioning elevated prices.
Subsequently, the minder would dismissively suggest that price concerns were exaggerated.
Governor’s Defense and EU Sanctions
The visit concluded with an interview with Tijani Karshoum, the Governor of West Darfur, whose predecessor was killed in May 2023 after accusing the RSF of genocide.
In his first interview since 2023, Karshoum maintained his neutrality during the El-Geneina unrest, asserting he did not align with any faction.
“Accusations of killings, abductions or rape must be addressed through an independent investigation,” stated Tijani Karshoum, Governor of West Darfur.
“We have embarked on a new chapter centered on peace, coexistence, and transcending past grievances,” he claimed, dismissing UN casualty figures as “exaggerated.”
An individual understood to be an RSF representative was also present during the interview.
Karshoum’s responses were notably consistent across various sensitive inquiries, ranging from ethnic cleansing allegations to the fate of former governor Khamis Abakar.
Approximately two weeks after the interview, the European Union sanctioned Karshoum, citing his “responsibility in the fatal attack” on his predecessor and involvement in “planning, directing, or committing serious human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, including killings, rape, sexual and gender-based violence, and abduction.”
In a follow-up, Karshoum responded to these sanctions stating, “As a suspect in this matter, any statement from me would lack credibility.”
However, he asserted, “I was never involved in the tribal conflict and remained at home during the clashes,” denying any involvement in humanitarian law violations.
“Allegations of killings, abductions, or rape require an independent investigation,” which he pledged to cooperate with, Karshoum stated.
“From the conflict’s inception in Khartoum, we have advocated for peace and proposed initiatives to prevent violence in our fragile state,” he added.
Dire Future for Displaced Sudanese
Mostafa deemed it too unsafe to remain in El-Fasher and departed in November.
Considering the significant disparity between the official narrative in El-Geneina and the consistent testimonies from refugees, the prospect of residents returning home seems remote.
This bleak outlook extends to the twelve million Sudanese who have been displaced, living as refugees or in internal camps.
Ultimately, Hafiza, Mostafa, and Manahel found life in El-Fasher untenable. In November 2024, all three left for nearby towns.
With the military reclaiming Khartoum in March, Darfur remains the primary region under paramilitary control, intensifying the conflict in El-Fasher.
“El-Fasher has become terrifying,” Manahel expressed while packing her belongings.
“We are leaving uncertain of our future. Will we ever return? When will this war end? The answers remain unknown.”