Hope Amid Hardship: North Darfur Minister signals imminent end to El Fasher siege

Sudan’s North Darfur Health Minister, Ibrahim Abdallah Khatir, has announced on June 22 that the siege on El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is likely to be lifted soon, raising hopes for relief in the war-battered city.

Since April 2024, the blockade has plunged El Fasher into a severe humanitarian crisis, with medical supplies and essential goods dwindling after the army halted airdrops. Following a meeting with hospital directors and physicians, Khatir cited imminent breakthroughs through renewed airdrops and coordinated efforts to break the siege. He urged residents to remain resolute, praising medical workers for their commitment to providing care despite the dire circumstances.

The blockade has left El Fasher’s hospitals crippled, with critical shortages forcing residents to rely on primitive treatments and donkey carts to transport the injured amid a fuel crisis. Many healthcare workers have fled, and basic medical operations have ground to a halt.

Nonetheless, remaining medical staff have pledged to continue their services as a patriotic and humanitarian duty, while urgently calling for improved working conditions, supplies, housing, and incentives. In a recent development, some goods have reappeared in local shops after the state governor warned of confiscating hoarded items for free public distribution—a small yet significant sign of potential recovery.