Ahmed Abdul Rahman can hear the thud of artillery from where he lies in a makeshift cluster of tents in the Sudanese city of el-Fasher.
The 13-year-old boy was injured in a recent shelling attack.
I feel pain in my head and my legs, he says weakly.
For 17 months, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have besieged el-Fasher, located in their ethnic heartland of Darfur, and now they're closing in on key military sites in the city.
The conflict in Sudan broke out in 2023 following a power struggle between the top commanders of the RSF and the Sudanese army.
As the RSF has ramped up efforts to seize el-Fasher—the army's last stronghold in the western Darfur region—the territory under army control has shrunk to a pocket around the airport. For the tens of thousands of civilians trapped inside the city, each day is a nightmare.
Reports indicate that medical care is scarce, with hospitals under fire and supplies running low. Ahmed's whole body is full of shrapnel, his mother Islam Abdullah shares, noting that his condition remains unstable.
Nearby, Hamida Adam Ali lies seriously injured, recounting her ordeal of being unable to move for days. I don’t know if my husband is dead or alive, she laments, as hunger plagues her children.
While RSF advances have shown significant gains, the situation for civilians continues to deteriorate as attacks target both military and non-military sites indiscriminately.
This predicament reflects the grave humanitarian emergency unfolding in Sudan, where even those who manage to escape face threats and violence.
Many fear what the next weeks may hold as the siege persists, leaving those trapped to battle not only for survival but for the hope of peace.
