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Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claimed on Sunday to have seized full control of El-Fasher, the last major city in the expansive Darfur region not in their hands.
The RSF announced the capture of the city and the army’s main base (the Sixth Division) after besieging the area since May 2024.
If confirmed, the capture would represent a critical turning point in the two-year-long civil war, effectively consolidating RSF dominance across all five Darfur state capitals.
Analysts warn this could lead to the de facto partition of Sudan, with the RSF governing Darfur and the army holding the north and east.
The Sudanese army and its local allies, the Popular Resistance, have refuted the claim, labelling it a “media disinformation campaign” intended to weaken morale.
Independent verification of the RSF’s claim remains impossible due to a telecommunications blackout in the city.
The fighting has created a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher emphasised that the situation is a “worst-case scenario” for civilians, with hundreds of thousands of residents, including 260,000 children, trapped without aid and facing starvation.
Aid groups warn of the “imminent risk of death” for thousands of malnourished children amid mounting reports of atrocities.
The UN and US have urgently called for an immediate ceasefire and the creation of safe corridors to allow civilians to evacuate and aid to be delivered.
International diplomatic efforts, involving the US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, are ongoing to push for peace and a transition to civilian rule.
