Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have announced the capture of the strategic city of el-Fasher, marking a decisive moment in the country’s devastating civil war.
In a statement released on social media, the RSF declared that it had taken full control of el-Fasher “from the grip of mercenaries and militias allied with the terrorist army.” The loss of el-Fasher represents a major setback for the Sudanese army, as it was the military’s final stronghold in the Darfur region. With its fall, the RSF now effectively controls nearly all of Darfur.
The RSF’s statement came shortly after the group claimed to have seized the army’s 6th Division Headquarters, destroying several military vehicles and capturing large quantities of equipment. Videos circulating online show RSF fighters inside the captured base, confirming the group’s advance.
For the past 18 months, el-Fasher had been under siege, with heavy bombardments cutting off civilians and army positions. An estimated 300,000 people were trapped inside the city as food, medicine, and humanitarian aid became nearly impossible to deliver. Hunger, disease, and shelling have turned the once-bustling urban centre into a humanitarian disaster zone.
Reports from aid officials describe dire conditions. “Hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped and terrified — shelled, starving, and without access to safety or healthcare,” said one senior UN relief official, calling for an immediate ceasefire across Darfur and the rest of Sudan.
The RSF’s siege tactics included encircling the city with earthen barriers, effectively sealing in residents and preventing both escape and the delivery of aid. Despite desperate efforts by local militias and Sudanese forces to defend the city, their resistance has largely collapsed under relentless assault.
The fall of el-Fasher is not only a symbolic defeat for Sudan’s army but also a turning point in the wider conflict that erupted in 2023. What began as a power struggle between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces has spiraled into a full-blown war that has claimed over 150,000 lives and displaced more than 12 million people.
The RSF now controls most of Darfur and large parts of the Kordofan region, while the army holds the northern and eastern parts of the country. The paramilitary group has hinted at plans to establish a rival administration in el-Fasher, signaling a potential escalation in Sudan’s fragmentation.
Meanwhile, international observers have condemned the RSF for alleged atrocities during its campaign in Darfur, including crimes against humanity and ethnic violence. The United States has accused the group of carrying out genocide against non-Arab communities in the region.
As the world watches Sudan slide deeper into chaos, the capture of el-Fasher underscores the fragility of the nation’s unity and the immense human toll of a war that shows no sign of ending.
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