Reuters
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Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have announced that they have captured the military headquarters in the city of El Fasher, the last stronghold of the Sudanese military in the country’s western Darfur region.
Two videos shared by RSF on Sunday showed soldiers cheering in front of a sign at the military’s 6th Infantry Base. Reuters was able to confirm the location but not the date. The military did not immediately issue a statement on its current position.
The capture of El Fasher would be a significant victory for the RSF, allowing it to tighten its control over the vast Darfur region, which the militia claims is home to a parallel government established this summer, and could precipitate a physical breakup of the country.
This came after the RSF on Saturday captured the city of Bara in North Kordofan state, which serves as a barrier between Darfur and Sudan’s capital and the military-controlled eastern half of the country.
RSF has been besieging the city, the capital of North Darfur state, for the past 18 months, fighting former rebel groups and local fighters allied with the military.
The siege has left 250,000 people in the western part of the city starving, with frequent drone and artillery attacks targeting civilians.
Some activists have long warned that an RSF takeover of a city could lead to ethnic reprisal attacks, as was seen after the capture of Zamzam camp for displaced people in the south.
Reuters was unable to contact El Fasher residents who use Starlink terminals to access the internet due to a prolonged communications blackout.
UN-commissioned mission claims RSF commits crimes against humanity
RSF announced last week that it was facilitating the evacuation of civilians and surrendered fighters from El Fasher, but those leaving have reported robberies, kidnappings, sexual assaults, and killings by RSF soldiers on the streets.
In a video posted by an RSF-led Tasis government official, RSF soldiers said they were escorting a long convoy of mostly men, most of them soldiers, leaving El Fasher. Reuters could not immediately confirm the date or location of the footage.
A UN-commissioned panel said last month that the RSF had committed multiple crimes against humanity during the siege of al-Fashir. The military has also been accused of war crimes.
A local activist group, the El Fasher Resistance Committee, said in a statement that fighting for the city continues, accusing the military leadership of leaving fighters in the city to fight on their own.
Drone footage shared by RSF, confirmed by Reuters to be over the west side of El Fasher, showed people leaving the city by car or on foot. It is unclear whether these are civilians or soldiers. Footage on social media, which Reuters could not see, showed a number of alleged fighters in RSF custody.
War displaces millions and leads to famine
The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF began in April 2023, when the two armies, which previously shared power, clashed over plans to unite their forces during the transition to democracy.
The fighting has displaced millions of people, left half of Sudan starving, and spread disease throughout the country.
Over the weekend, the United States convened Emirati, Egyptian and Saudi officials to discuss a possible peace plan.
Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that its officials were visiting Washington for bilateral talks. However, the military-led Sovereign Council denied reports that representatives of the two armies were holding indirect talks.
