Despite the militia’s apparent victory, the position of the besieged city of El Fasher remains unchanged.
Fighting has intensified in the besieged city of El Fasher in Sudan’s North Darfur, with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia claiming to have captured the last Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) base in the western region.
An RSF spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday that RSF forces “succeeded in liberating the 6th division of El Fasher and breaking the rear of the army and its allies by establishing complete control of this strategic military base.” He said the development was an important turning point and “a step on the path to building a new state in which all Sudanese people participate in its establishment in accordance with their aspirations for freedom, peace and justice.”
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
A video posted by RSF showed soldiers cheering in front of a sign at the SAF’s 6th Infantry Base. Reuters could confirm the location but not the date.
Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from the capital Khartoum, said: “The seizure of the base… took place after several days of intense fighting.”
RSF has been besieging El Fasher for the past 18 months, fighting former rebels and local fighters allied with Sudanese forces. Targeting civilians with frequent drone and artillery fire, the siege has caused severe suffering and spread hunger across the city, with 250,000 people still under gunfire.
SAF did not immediately issue a statement on its current position.
Morgan said the siege “made it difficult for the military to replenish and reinforce soldiers and forces” at military bases, adding there were layers to the unfolding situation.
“What we understand from military sources is that despite the fact that the RSF took over an army division there, the troops themselves were not present within the base itself,” Morgan said.
“Strictly speaking, the RSF does not have full control of El Fasher itself, although it controls the infantry divisions that once belonged to the Sudanese army, as they have retreated and re-established their bases around the city.”
The capture of El Fasher would be a significant military and political victory for the RSF, allowing the militia to tighten its grip on the vast Darfur region, where a parallel government was established this summer, and potentially precipitating the physical fragmentation of the country.
Activists have long warned that the RSF’s occupation of the city could lead to ethnic attacks, as was seen after the capture of the Zamzam camp in the south.
RSF announced last week that it was facilitating the escape of civilians and surrendered fighters from El Fasher, but defectors have reported robberies, sexual assaults, and killings by RSF soldiers along the way.
A UN-commissioned panel said last month that the RSF had committed multiple crimes against humanity in the siege of El Fasher. The SAF has also been accused of atrocities.
Four United Nations agencies warned this week that thousands of children face imminent death without food or medical care.
United Nations expert Radouan Neuser this week expressed concern about the escalation in drone attacks by both sides. RSF attacks on electricity infrastructure on Tuesday knocked out electricity in several cities and injured six workers.
On Friday, for the fourth day in a row, RSF drones targeted Khartoum’s international airport, which the military had hoped to reopen after retaking the capital in March. Due to this, the reopening has been postponed.
The conflict, which began in April 2023, has become the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with tens of thousands of people dead, 12 million displaced and 30 million in need of aid.
In recent months, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to step up efforts to end the war in Sudan. But Sudan is not a priority, as his foreign policy focus is currently on strengthening the fragile Gaza ceasefire and finding ways to reach any kind of ceasefire and trade deal in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
