El Fasher

El Fasher has a hot arid climate (Köppen BWh) with three distinct seasons. There is a bone-dry and relatively "cool" season from October to February when temperatures are merely hot by afternoon and cool in the mornings, which gives way to a sweltering and equally arid "hot season" from March to May with high temperatures around 38 °C or 100 °F and morning lows of 21 °C or 70 °F. The Sahelian monsoon arrives in June and lasts until September, creating a short wet season that produces virtually all the year's rainfall of around 210 millimetres or 8.3 inches, accompanied by much higher humidity than during the remainder of the year.

The nearby Abu Shouk and Al Salam internally displaced persons camps had an influx of humanitarian aid from the United Nations as a result of the Darfur crisis, and the city experienced a significant economic and population boom. Rents and retail sales increased, including the selling of bottled water and the opening of a pizza parlour to cater to the demand from western aid workers. The number of petrol stations has tripled in three years as a result of the increase in the number of cars in the city. Employment opportunities also increased as the United Nations offered jobs to citizens. Economics analyst Adam Ahmed stated that the "people [of El Fasher] are beginning to think in a more business-minded way" to make the most of their situation.

El Fasher had 264,734 residents as of 2006, an increase from 2001, when the population was estimated to be 178,500. UN Habitat reported a population of over 500,000 for El Fasher in 2009, attributing the increase to refugees and economic migrants. In 2025, prior to the fall of the city, its population was estimated at 252,000 people.