"Sudanese paramilitary seizes El Fasher amid civilian safety concerns"

Concerns Mount for Civilians Trapped in El Fasher as Conflict Escalates

Concerns are increasing for hundreds of thousands of civilians stranded in El Fasher after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces claimed to have taken control of the city, which they have surrounded for over a year amid Sudan’s ongoing conflict.

The group announced on Sunday that it had seized the military’s primary base in Darfur, where famine was declared in a displacement camp last year. It later issued a statement asserting it had "freed the city of El Fasher from the control of mercenaries and armed groups."

The Popular Resistance, a local militia supporting the army, responded that government forces remained in "more secure positions" and that residents were still "resisting militant factions."

Tom Fletcher, the UN’s humanitarian chief, expressed deep alarm over reports of fighters advancing further into the city and blocking escape routes. He called for an immediate halt to hostilities, the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and safe passage for civilians wishing to flee.

However, the RSF stated it would ensure "secure routes for those wanting to relocate, as well as protection for all remaining in the city."

Sudan has been engulfed in civil war since April 2023, when tensions between the military and the RSF erupted into open conflict in the capital, Khartoum, before spreading nationwide.

By the second anniversary of the fighting, over 13 million people had been displaced, with half of Sudan’s 51 million population requiring food aid.

Although government forces regained control of Khartoum in March 2025, allowing some residents to return, clashes have persisted in the country’s south and west. The RSF began encircling El Fasher in the Darfur region in May 2024.

By August, more than 600,000 people had fled the city, while another 260,000 remained trapped without access to aid.

A telecommunications blackout and disruptions to satellite internet services have prevented independent reporting from El Fasher.

If confirmed, the RSF’s takeover would mean the group, led by warlord Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, now holds all five of Darfur’s states. Analysts warn this could signal the de facto division of Sudan.

Dagalo was sworn in as head of the RSF’s rival government in August in Nyala, as the siege on El Fasher intensified.

Earlier this month, RSF drone and artillery attacks killed at least 60 people in a displacement shelter in the city.

Both Sudan’s army and the RSF have faced accusations of war crimes during the conflict. According to a UN report from November 2024, the RSF and allied fighters have targeted non-Arab communities in Darfur, with reports of fighters vowing to force women to bear "Arab children."

The RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militias, which were accused of genocide under former president Omar al-Bashir’s orders in Darfur in 2003.