Civilians in El-Fasher, the capital of northern Darfur in Sudan and surrounding towns are starving to death.

The Paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) attacked them for about a year, but due to the joint forces, they managed to stop the invasion, a series of local armed factions supported by the Army.

Experts, local journalists and civilians say the besieged civilians are now seeking help, but some fear that the army has neither the political will nor the ability to save civilians.

The United Nations Global Hunger Monitor (IPC), which is an Integrated Food Security Stage Classification (IPC), said nearly 500,000 civilians in the largest refugee camp in North Darfur have suffered from famine.

Zamzam residents told Al Jazeera that the army pulled some food aid from the fighter planes earlier this week but said supplies would be used up within a few days.

“All Sudanese military and security agencies should move towards (Northern Darfur) to ensure food, medical and humanitarian supplies are provided to surrounded civilians,” said Mohamed Khamis Doda, a spokesman for Zamzam Camp.

He added: “[Humanitarian organizations]must also intervene immediately.”

Give up Darfur?

Most of the people in the camp and El-Fashers come from sedentary agricultural communities, known as “non-Arab”, while most of the fighters attacking them come from nomadic or pastoral “Arab” tribes, with RSF usually coming from RSF.

Since April 2023, the RSF has been fighting Sudan’s military in a catastrophic civil war that has triggered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis through most measures.

RSF Four of the five Darfur states were quickly captured – South, East, West and Central – 2023.

The United Nations accused both sides of atrocities but said the RSF systematically raped women and girls and “disappeared” thousands of civilians.

Many of these crimes were committed in Darfur, the RSF stronghold, almost on the scale of France.

In April 2024, the RSF besieged El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, although many local armed factions (partially) (part of the Joint Force) stood with the Army, despite the formation of a rebellion against the central government’s marginalization of tribes and regions in the early 2000s.

since Army occupied KhartoumIn March, experts and civilians in Darfur were worried that it would once again ignore the region by prioritizing its control over central and northern Sudan.

“At present, I’m not sure if the army has the political will and resources to continue fighting (in Darfur),” said Jawhara Kanu, an independent Sudan expert originally from North Darfur.

Kanu added that over the past two years, a growing number of personality, numerous followers have taken to social media hatred of civilians in Darfur, accusing everyone in the region of blame for the crimes of RSF.

Kanu told Al Jazeera: “They think the RSF is from Darfur, so let’s let Darfur go.”

“I’m afraid public opinion (in northern and central Sudan) may influence the decisions of the Army and the Allied forces (fight for Darfur).

Indistinguishable war

On March 24, the Army drove four rockets in a crowded market in Torra Village in North Darfur at sunset, when hundreds of people gathered during the holy month of Ramadan to break their fast.

Local surveillance estimates that at least 350 people have been killed.

“There are a lot of civilians killed and injured. Many of them are women and children,” said Adam Rojal, a spokesman for the displaced persons in Darfur. “There is absolutely no reason.”

Al Jazeera sent a written inquiry to Army spokesman Nabil Abdallah asking why the army broke into a crowded market during IFTAR. He did not answer at the time of publication.

A source, who has monitored the situation in Darfur, asked his colleagues to be protected anonymously from retaliation.

Despite the attack on Torah, most civilians in North Darfur were afraid of RSF invasion rather than army air strikes.

They believe the group will commit mass killings, rape and plunder of the entire city – Just like the Sudan crossed – If it conquered El-Fasher and the surrounding villages.

However, sources warned that if the group penetrated densely populated spaces such as North Darfur and Zamzam, the army would not be able to accurately attack the RSF.

Sources told Al Jazeera: “I think the strike (on the Torah) shows that even if the RSF enters El-Fasher, the army will not stop it. What does this mean for civilians…well, I think we already have an idea.”

A surrender deal?

Local monitors say the RSF has strengthened abuse across North Darfur in recent weeks.

On April 1, the group killed at least seven people, including about 190,000 in the displaced camp of Abu Shouk.

Ten days ago it rushed into the town of Al-Malha, north of El-Fasher, and was said to have killed at least 40 people, destroyed houses, robbed and burned the market, exacerbating hunger in the area.

Local monitors told Al Jazeera that the Al-Malha occupation, located next to Libya, would occupy another important supply line when it approached El-Fasher on El-Fasher.

On the other hand, the joint forces, on the other hand, were unable to obtain new weapons or recruit new warriors due to siege.

Joint Force leader Minni Minawi called for a “dialogue” in his speech at Eid on Sunday, which seemed to contradict earlier speeches by Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who promised that the Army would continue to fight after capturing Khartoum.

Experts and local monitors told Al Jazeera that Minawi’s words prompted speculation that the Joint Force could seek a deal with the RSF to escape bloodshed.

However, civilians in the region are concerned that any transaction will lead to non-Arab ethnic cleansing.

“United Forces is the son of people living in this area. It’s really hard to imagine their surrender to the RSF, because then the RSF could kill everyone who stayed here (non-Arab).

“(non-Arab communities) see Northern Darfur as their land; they cannot leave.

“They will live or die here,” he added.