El-Fasher Siege Turns Donkey Carts into Costly Lifelines
El-Fasher Siege Turns Donkey Carts into Costly Lifelines
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In El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, the price of a donkey cart ride has skyrocketed to more than the cost of a car journey, a grim indicator of the city’s deepening humanitarian crisis under siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). According to a report by The Guardian on Saturday, residents now pay up to 100,000 Sudanese pounds for short cart rides to nearby villages—an unimaginable sum just months ago when fares averaged around 40,000 pounds.
The RSF siege, in place since May 2024, has blocked major supply routes, cut off humanitarian aid, and pushed the city into economic paralysis. Fuel has nearly vanished, leaving donkey carts as the only option for many families needing to reach food markets or medical facilities. With buses and cars off the roads, even the most basic mobility has become a luxury.
Food prices have surged beyond affordability, with staples like rice, sugar, and meat scarce. Residents now rely on firewood for cooking due to the absence of gas. Markets are largely empty, water supplies are irregular, and hospitals struggle to operate.
The donkey cart crisis symbolizes the broader collapse of everyday life in El-Fasher, where survival grows costlier by the day.
