Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) say they have captured the army headquarters over the weekend in the city of El Fasher, the Sudanese army’s last stronghold in the western Darfur region.
Two videos shared by the RSF showed its soldiers cheering in front of signs for the army’s Sixth Infantry base. Reuters was able to verify the location but not the date of the videos. The army did not immediately give a statement on its current position.
Capture of El Fasher would be a significant victory for the RSF and could hasten a physical split of the country by enabling the paramilitary group to consolidate its control over the vast Darfur region, which it has claimed as the base for a parallel government established this summer.
It comes after the RSF on Saturday captured the city of Bara in North Kordofan, the state that forms a barrier between Darfur and the Sudanese capital and the army-controlled eastern half of the country.
The RSF had besieged El Fasher for the past 18 months as it fights the army and allied former rebels and local fighters.
It has targeted civilians in frequent drone and artillery strikes, while the siege has led to starvation among the 250,000 people who remain in the west of the city, which is the capital of North Darfur state.
Some activists have long warned that an RSF takeover of El Fasher would lead to ethnic revenge attacks, as seen after the capture of the Zamzam camp for displaced people to the south.
Reuters was unable to reach local residents, who rely on Starlink terminals to access the internet given a long-term telecom blackout.
Reported sexual assaults, killings on the ground
Last week, the RSF said it was facilitating the exit of civilians and surrendered fighters from El Fasher, but those who have left have reported robberies, kidnappings, sexual assaults and killings by RSF soldiers on the road.
In a video posted by a senior official in the RSF-led Tasis government, RSF soldiers say they are protecting a long convoy of mostly men leaving El Fasher, who they say are mainly soldiers. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the date or location of the footage.
A UN-mandated mission said last month the RSF had committed multiple crimes against humanity in the El Fasher siege. The army has also been accused of war crimes.
WATCH | Human rights officials speak about the conditions in El Fasher last month:
Human rights organizations are sounding the alarm after a drone attack on a mosque killed at least 70 people in the besieged city of El Fasher in Sudan’s North Darfur region, according to aid workers and the Sudanese army.
The El Fasher Resistance Committees, a local activist group, said in a statement the fight for the city was ongoing, blaming the army leadership for leaving the fighters in the city to fight on their own.
Drone footage shared by the RSF, from which Reuters verified the location as being over the western side of El Fasher, showed cars and individuals on foot leaving the city. It was unclear whether these were civilians or soldiers. Footage seen on social media that Reuters was unable to verify showed scores of alleged fighters in RSF custody.
War displaces millions, causes widespread hunger
The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF began in April 2023, when the two forces, previously sharing power, fell out over plans to integrate their forces during a transition toward democracy.
The fighting has displaced millions, plunged half of Sudan into hunger, and spread disease throughout the country.
WATCH | Some 7.7 million people facing malnutrition:
South Sudan is facing one of the world’s most severe hunger crises — second only to Gaza. As 7.7 million people face malnutrition, according to the World Food Program, aid workers say U.S. funding cuts have taken away the backbone of the country’s health system.
Over the weekend, the United States convened Emirati, Egyptian and Saudi Arabian officials to discuss a possible peace plan.
Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said officials were in Washington for bilateral talks. However, the army-led Sovereign Council denied reports that representatives of both forces were engaging in indirect talks.
