El Fasher, Sudan is Under Siege: What is Save the Children Doing?

130,000 children are trapped in El Fasher with no safe way out

What is happening in El Fasher?

The city of El Fasher has been under siege for over 500 days. More than 260,000 people, including an estimated 130,000 children, remain trapped inside El Fasher, enduring famine-like conditions and a total collapse of health services, with no safe way out. According to the United Nations, about 26,000 people have fled El Fasher.

Mothers and children who were able to escape the city told Save the Children staff of how they were attacked on the perilous journey by armed men, with some witnessing their neighbours and relatives being killed in front of them, and others robbed of their belongings.

“In El Fasher, we faced such difficulties and such circumstances. We lost family members, we lost neighbours, we lost everyone.

We’ve been walking for the past four days from El Fasher. A group of motorbike riders met us on the way. They took our luggage and threw our clothes and belongings onto thorn bushes, scattering everything along the road. They took my money and even my phone! I was beaten – my ear still hurts.

They beat [up] some people and battered them in front of us. They killed people and insulted us a lot.”

– Saadiya*, Mother of three.

The conflict that erupted in Sudan’s capital Khartoum, in April 2023 has persisted for two years, resulting in an unprecedented humanitarian devastation. Sudan was already facing its worst ever humanitarian crisis even before the eruption of conflict in April 2023. Existing localised conflict, natural disasters, disease outbreaks, hunger and economic degradation already threatened millions of children’s lives and futures. 30.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, including 15.6 million children.

Since the conflict began in April 2023:

An average of 1 child every 10 seconds has been forced to flee their home.
6.5 million children are now displaced—nearly half under the age of five.
17 million children are out of school.
11.6 million children are facing crisis levels of hunger.
Over 3,150 grave child rights violations have been reported in the last year—including rape, abduction, and forced recruitment.

Despite the staggering levels of need, this crisis is not getting the attention it deserves. Children are witnessing or experiencing unimaginable violence—things no child should ever face. There is an unprecedented lack of funding and critical lack of humanitarian access.

What is Save the Children Currently Doing?

Save the Children has rapidly scaled up operations across Tawila and Jabal Marra since the siege began in April 2024 to meet the needs of newly arrived children and their families. We’ve reached over 224,000 displaced people:

We’re operating four health facilities and an expanding mobile health services in Tawila and across North Darfur, while in Jabal Marra, we’re operating seven health facilities and three mobile clinics.
We are providing emergency shelter, food, water, and hygiene supplies for newly displaced families.

We have been scaling up operations but we need a rapid escalation in funding to meet the increasing needs now. Our teams are working under extreme conditions and urgently require more support to save lives.

Save the Children staff talk to families forced to flee brutal violence in El Fasher, now living in precarious conditions in a displacement camp.

How You can Help

When crisis strikes, children can’t wait. Our Children’s Emergency Fund lets us act immediately delivering lifesaving healthcare, shelter, food, and protection wherever it’s needed most.

With humanitarian needs rising and funding stretched thin, flexible support is vital. Your support today means we can scale up our response, reach children fleeing violence, and give them a chance to survive and rebuild their futures.

Current situation in Sudan