For over a year, the people of Al Fashir, the capital of North Darfur in Sudan, have lived under a tight and brutal siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Nearly 900,000 residents are trapped, cut off from food, fuel, and humanitarian aid — a dire situation fast deteriorating into full-scale famine.

The RSF, a powerful paramilitary group, has encircled the city for 14 months, blocking supply routes and intensifying attacks on civilians. Al Fashir is now the last major city in the Darfur region still under the control of Sudan’s army and allied Darfur Joint Protection Force — making it a key battleground.

Rare footage from inside the city, obtained by Sky News, paints a haunting picture: streets deserted, markets destroyed, and gunfire echoing in the background. With daily shelling, most residents now hide indoors. Volunteers move around using donkey carts, distributing scraps of food to those who remain.

Journalist Muammer Ibrahim, reporting from inside the city, described the situation as “monstrous.”

 “The markets are emptied of food and partially destroyed by shelling. Civilians were killed at the market just a day ago. There is also shelling in residential areas. Every day, you hear of 10 or 12 civilians killed in attacks,” he said.

According to Ibrahim, not only is it dangerous to look for food, but there’s also little or nothing left to buy. “The markets are depleted. Hundreds of thousands here are threatened by a full-blown famine,” he added, his voice thin and weary, with distant gunfire audible in the background.

Much of the current crisis was triggered by the RSF’s violent attack on the Zamzam displacement camp, just 12km south of Al Fashir, in April. The camp, once home to nearly half a million people, was overrun and ransacked. Many survivors fled toward Al Fashir, only to find themselves squeezed into makeshift shelters on the city’s outskirts, still cut off from aid.

The RSF’s seizure of Zamzam sealed off the last remaining supply route into Al Fashir. Since then, convoys attempting to deliver food or medicine have been ambushed.

“Between June and October 2024, several aid trucks were blocked from entering Al Fashir and Zamzam because they were carrying food,” said Mathilde Simon of Médecins Sans Frontières.

“A UN convoy that tried to get in at the start of June was attacked, and five aid workers were killed. Since then, no convoy has reached the city.”

With nothing coming in, families are surviving on animal feed and water-thin porridge made in overstretched community kitchens. Images from local volunteers show sickly children lying on straw mats, their bodies frail and eyes vacant from hunger.

The Famine Review Committee had already confirmed famine conditions in some parts of Darfur as early as August 2024, including Zamzam. By December, five areas were affected, and projections showed Al Fashir would be next. Now, aid agencies say the humanitarian situation has drastically worsened, but no proper assessments can be carried out due to lack of access.

Mohamed al Doma, a coordinator for Al Fashir’s Emergency Response Rooms, recently fled the city on foot with his wife and two children. He says the signs of famine are glaring.

“There is a famine of the first degree in Al Fashir. There’s no food, no medicine, no shelter. The markets are empty, there’s no work, and no farming. This is not just a crisis — it’s a complete collapse,” he said.

As the world watches, a humanitarian disaster is unfolding in silence — and unless access is restored and aid allowed in, Al Fashir could soon become a city of ghosts.