Hundreds of thousands of people under siege in the Sudanese army's last holdout in the western Darfur region are running out of food and coming under constant artillery and drone barrages, while those who flee risk cholera and violent attacks.

Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur state, is the biggest remaining frontline in the region between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), under fire at a pivotal point in a civil war now well into its third year.

The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 when the former allies clashed over plans to integrate their forces.

The RSF made quick gains in central Sudan, including the capital Khartoum, but the army pushed them westward this year, leading to an intensification in fighting in al-Fashir.

The city's fall would give the RSF control over nearly all of Darfur - a vast region bordering Libya, Chad, Central African Republic and South Sudan - and pave the way for what analysts say could be Sudan's de facto division.

Besieged along with the army and its allies are hundreds of thousands of al-Fashir's residents and people displaced by previous attacks, many living in camps that monitors say are already in famine.

The RSF has blocked food supplies and aid convoys trying to reach the city have been attacked, locals said. Prices for the goods traders are able to smuggle in cost more than five times the national average.

Many people have resorted to eating hay or ambaz, a type of animal feed made out of peanut shells, residents told Reuters. One advocacy group said even ambaz was running out.

The RSF, which has its roots in the Janjaweed militias accused of atrocities in Darfur in the early 2000s, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Many residents fleeing the city have sought shelter in Tawila, about 60 km (40 miles) west. Some of those who made it told Reuters they were attacked by groups of RSF fighters along the way.

"They (RSF) made us flee (from Zamzam camp), we went back to Shagra (village close to al-Fashir in North Darfur) so that we can flee and go to Tawila. They (RSF) attacked us again in Shagra," 19-year-old Enaam Abdallah Mohammed said.

"If they find a person with a mobile phone, they would take it from him. If you have money, they take it. If you have a good (strong) donkey or something like that, they will take it from you. They kill the people, they killed people in front of us. They took girls in front of us and raped them," she said.

On Monday (August 4), Emergency Lawyers, a human rights group, said at least 14 people fleeing al-Fashir were killed and dozens injured when they were attacked in a village along the route.

Tawila is hosting more than half a million displaced people, most of whom have arrived since April, when the RSF stepped up its assault on al-Fashir and attacked the massive Zamzam displacement camp to the city's south.

But Tawila offers little aid or shelter, as humanitarian organisations are stretched by foreign aid cuts. People who arrived there told Reuters they receive small amounts of grain, including sorghum and rice, but amounts were varying and insufficient.

Sudan is in the throes of the rainy season, which in combination with poor living conditions and inadequate sanitation has led to an outbreak of cholera.

Since mid-June, aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres has treated 2,500 cases of cholera, a spokesperson told Reuters.

Some 52 people have died from the disease, according to the Coordinating Committee for Displaced People, a Sudanese advocacy group that operates across Darfur.

Vaccines needed to stem the outbreak, if provided, will take time to arrive given the rains.

An assessment by the Norwegian Refugee Council found that only 10% of people in Tawila had reliable access to water, and even fewer had access to latrines. Most families report eating one meal a day or less, the organisation said.

"We don't have houses (to protect us from) the rain and we don't have tarps. We have to wait for the rain to stop for the children to sleep," mother-of-four Huda Ali said as she sat among roofless shelters made of straw.

The United Nations called for a humanitarian pause to fighting in al-Fashir last month as the rainy season began, but the RSF rejected the call.

Fighting has also raged across Sudan's Kordofan region, which borders Darfur, as the two sides fight to demarcate clear zones of control amid stalled mediation efforts.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Displaced Sudanese fleeing al-Fashir's violence describe dire situation in Tawila

VIDEO SHOWS: VARIOUS OF SUDANESE WOMEN DISPLACED FROM A VILLAGE NEAR AL-FASHIR, IN DARFUR REGION - WHERE FIGHTING IS RAGING BETWEEN THE COUNTRY'S ARMED FORCES AND PARAMILITARY RAPID SUPPORT FORCES (RSF) / WOMEN SPEAKING ABOUT CONDITIONS IN TAWILA, WHERE THEY ARE CURRENTLY STAYING AMONG OTHERS FROM ACROSS DARFUR REGION

SHOWS: TAWILA, SUDAN (JULY 30, 2025) (VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF 32-YEAR-OLD DISPLACED SUDANESE MOTHER OF FOUR WHO IS ALSO PREGNANT, HUDA ALI, STANDING AND WALKING AT DABA NAIRA CAMP

2. VARIOUS OF ALI CUTTING ONIONS

3. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED SUDANESE MOTHER OF FOUR, HUDA ALI, 32, SAYING:

"Until now, my husband, the father of my children has not come from al-Fashir. I took the children and left with my family. We have families that we could not find."

4. VARIOUS OF ALI PREPARING FOOD, NEXT TO CHILDREN

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED SUDANESE MOTHER OF FOUR, HUDA ALI, 32, SAYING:

"We came to Tawila. After we arrived to "Tawila, the organisation (referring to a local NGO) gave us some simple things, but that's not enough. There is a lot of rain now, and the cholera disease is coming (spreading). I hope they would try and provide us with medications."

6. ALI CUTTING ONIONS

7. VARIOUS OF ALI SITTING AMONG CHILDREN

8. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED SUDANESE MOTHER OF FOUR, HUDA ALI, 32, SAYING:

"We don't have houses (to protect us from) the rain and we don't have tarps. We have to wait for the rain to stop for the children to sleep. There are no tarps (to cover the tents during rain) or mosquito nets. We don't have covers and the fall is coming."

9. GIRL LOOKING ON

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT WHO IS DISPLACED WITH HER FAMILY, ENAAM ABDALLAH MOHAMMED, 19, SAYING:

"They (RSF) made us flee (from Zamzam camp), we went back to Shagra (village close to al-Fashir in North Darfur) so that we can flee and go to Tawila. They (RSF) attacked us again in Shagra. They exhausted us so much. They told us, 'Where are the weapons? Where are the men? You are slaves.'"

11. MOHAMMED LOOKING ON

12. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT WHO IS DISPLACED WITH HER FAMILY, ENAAM ABDALLAH MOHAMMED, 19, SAYING:

"If they find a person with a mobile phone, they would take it from him. If you have money, they take it. If you have a good (strong) donkey or something like that, they will take it from you. They kill the people, they killed people in front of us. They took girls in front of us and raped them."

13. VARIOUS OF 39-YEAR-OLD MOTHER OF FIVE, INCLUDING ENAAM ABDALLAH MOHAMMED, HANAN ADAM HASSAN, WALKING AND TALKING AT CAMP

14. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MOTHER OF ENAAM ENAAM ABDALLAH MOHAMMED, MOTHER OF FIVE, HANAN ADAM HASSAN, 39, SAYING:

"We don't have any work and since we came, we could not find anything, not even a hundred (Sudanese) pounds ($0.17) for daily income. We are just staying, there's nothing we can do. We built (a hut) with straw. We don't have a shade or tents for the rain or anything. We are staying and thanking God. The organisation (NGO) is bringing us bread, sometimes a small portion of corn per person, sometimes a slightly larger portion, sometimes a cup of oil, other times some rice. We're just staying and waiting. We are exhausted all the time."

15. VARIOUS OF HASSAN TALKING AND SITTING AMONG CHILDREN, LOOKING ON