"By the time Mohamed Douda arrived in El Fasher, a city in the Darfur region of Sudan, the battle between the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was already under way. Over the following months, as the RSF tightened their siege on the city, Douda, a community spokesperson and local activist, updated the Guardian journalist Kaamil Ahmed about the deteriorating situation."
"He said: Our first struggle is the merciless hunger, and the second is the constant artillery shelling. Even the glow of a cigarette can alert the drones that fly overhead. So once we finish our meals, there is nothing to do but sit in silence."
"Ahmed tells Annie Kelly about Douda and his work, and what it was like to speak with him in the last days of the siege. Alan Boswell, the Horn of Africa editor at the International Crisis Group, then explains why the fall of El Fasher could be a major turning point in the two-year conflict, the significant impact that regional players are having in how the war is unfolding, and what is needed to bring this crisis to a permanent end. Support the Guardian today: theguardian.com/todayinfocuspod Photograph: supplied"
El Fasher endured an escalating siege as forces from the Sudanese armed forces and the RSF fought for control. The siege produced merciless hunger, relentless artillery shelling, and pervasive drone surveillance that made simple acts like smoking dangerous. Civilians faced empty days spent in silence after meals because movement could attract attacks. Local community spokespeople reported the intensifying hardship and isolation. Analysis indicates that the fall of El Fasher could mark a major turning point in the two-year conflict. Regional actors have significantly influenced how the war unfolds. A durable political and humanitarian solution is required to end the crisis.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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