An extensive earthen wall is being built around the besieged Sudanese city of el-Fasher, with the alarming intent to trap people inside, according to recent research from Yale University.
Satellite images identified over 31 kilometers (19 miles) of berms constructed since May in areas outside el-Fasher now occupied by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
El-Fasher, which has been under siege for over a year, represents the last significant stronghold of Sudan's army against the RSF, who have been in conflict since April 2023.
Recent reports from the Sudan Doctors Network indicated that the RSF has intensified their offensive against civilians. Yesterday there was shelling in a civilian area of the city center that killed almost 24 civilians and injured 55, including five women, said Dr. Mohamed Faisal Hassan, emphasizing the deliberate nature of these attacks.
Moreover, the assault on a major hospital in el-Fasher has resulted in devastating casualties among patients and medical staff.
The HRL's ongoing surveillance suggests that the RSF is not just fortifying positions but is creating a deadly trap around el-Fasher, complicating escape for civilians and limiting the supply of food and medical aid.
With humanitarian organizations blocked from offering assistance, the impoverished populace suffers under relentless bombardment and increased food shortages. 37-year-old Halima Hashim, a mother of four, expressed the dire situation: Staying behind is like a slow death, but leaving is dangerous. As humanitarian conditions worsen, the call for international intervention grows more urgent.
Former Darfur governor Adeeb Abdel Rahman Youssef has appealed to the UN Security Council to protect the civilians trapped in el-Fasher, stressing the necessity for urgent assistance and intervention.
