Sudan’s Silent Suffering: Hunger, Fear, and the Footage They Tried to Hide.

The invisible War, It was just after dawn when the first whispers crackled through the smuggled satellite phones. "We're still alive," came the voice from El Fasher. The city, tucked in the arid plains of North Darfur, was not just besieged by armed forces but by silence itself. Sudan's civil war had raged for nearly a year, but much of the world barely noticed. As Gaza, Ukraine, and other global crises dominated headlines, a historic humanitarian disaster unfolded out of sight. In April 2023, tensions between Sudan's army (the SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group, erupted into full-scale war. What began as a political power struggle swiftly escalated into one of the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophes. And in the middle of it all was El Fasher—a city of two million—encircled, starved, and voiceless.With journalists unable to enter, BBC Africa smuggled phones into the city. Through those fragile lines, the world would finally hear the cries of a people trapped in a siege no one was watching.

El Fasher – A City Under Lockdown, El Fasher was once a hub—bustling markets, colorful fabrics, the scent of cardamom and charcoal mingling in the air. Now, it's a ghost of its former self. The RSF, which holds most of Darfur, had surrounded the city for months. Roads were cut. Aid convoys blocked. Electricity disappeared. Communications severed.

Those who stayed behind lived like shadows. "Every night, we hear the sound of gunfire. We don’t know who is alive anymore," said Mariam, a 38-year-old mother of four. She sent voice notes from a smuggled phone, often whispering to avoid being heard by militias.

Hospitals ran out of supplies weeks ago. "We perform surgeries without anesthesia," said Dr. Khalid, a local surgeon. "We have no medicine for infections, no bandages. Children are dying of things we could easily treat before."

Starvation, Silence, Survival, The war has collapsed Sudan’s food economy. In El Fasher, even flour is a luxury. The UN estimates that over 24 million Sudanese are now in need of food aid. But in this city, none arrives. "We boil leaves to feed our children," said one woman. "They vomit, but what else can we do?" Markets are empty. Prices have soared beyond what most can afford. A kilogram of rice costs more than an average family earns in a month. Even aid organizations, desperate to help, are paralyzed. One NGO worker, speaking anonymously, said: "It’s like they want these people to die silently."

Schools have shut down. Children roam the streets, listless and weak. Malnutrition is everywhere. UNICEF has warned that over 700,000 children are suffering from acute malnutrition across Sudan. In the besieged city, that number is impossible to confirm.

The War We Don’t See, Sudan's conflict is not just a battle between armies. It's a war on civilians. In Darfur, the horrors echo memories of past genocides. Reports of ethnically targeted violence by the RSF and aligned Arab militias have resurfaced, particularly in West Darfur. Towns burned. Men slaughtered. Women raped. Entire communities wiped out.But the blackout means evidence is scarce. El Fasher is the last city in Darfur still held by the army. If it falls, human rights groups fear a massacre. The SAF is hardly innocent, either. Both sides have bombed civilian areas. Both have used hunger as a weapon. Both have turned aid into leverage. The people, as always, are caught in between.

Displacement and DespairOver 13 million people have been displaced by this war. Camps once meant for emergencies have now become permanent cities of suffering. Zamzam Camp, outside El Fasher, is one of the largest. It houses more than 300,000 people .

There is no medicine. Water is scarce. Disease spreads rapidly. And yet, aid agencies cannot reach them. The RSF blocks roads. The army fears ambushes. Convoys are looted. Staff are threatened or killed.

Where is the World?Sudan’s war is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis—yet barely registers in global media. The United Nations has warned of famine, but its appeals are underfunded. Only a fraction of the $2.7 billion needed in aid has been delivered. There are darker whispers, too. Investigations have alleged that the UAE is supplying weapons to the RSF, shipping them through Chad. The UAE denies this, but satellite evidence and leaked reports raise troubling questions. Diplomacy has failed. Ceasefire talks brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia collapsed repeatedly. A new round is now being organized in Jeddah. But expectations are low.

Hope Beneath the Rubble, Even in despair, there is resilience. In one video, a group of children sing a folk song about peace. Behind them, a charred building smolders. They smile, gap-toothed, dirty, but defiant. Local doctors continue working, despite no pay. Women organize secret kitchens to share food. Youths risk death to record what is happening. "We just want to live," says Fatima, a 16-year-old girl who hopes to become a teacher. "We want the world to see us. We are not invisible." And now, thanks to those smuggled phones and the courage of those who used them, we do.

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