Battle for Sudan’s el-Fasher intensifies as RSF claims seizing army HQ

Despite this evident triumph for the paramilitary group, the besieged metropolis of el-Fasher’s presumption has not changed.

Fighting has intensified successful Sudan’s besieged metropolis of el-Fasher successful North Darfur, arsenic the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary radical claimed it had captured a government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) basal seen arsenic their past stronghold successful the occidental region.

“The takeover of the base, which is known arsenic the Six Infantry Division belonging to the Sudanese army, came aft days of dense fighting,” said Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from the superior Khartoum connected Sunday.

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The RSF has besieged el-Fasher for the past 18 months arsenic it fights the Sudanese service and allied erstwhile rebels and section fighters. It has targeted civilians successful predominant drone and artillery attacks, portion the siege has caused acute suffering and dispersed starvation successful the city, wherever 250,000 radical stay nether fire.

SAF did not instantly springiness a connection connected its existent position.

Due to the siege, “the service had trouble resupplying and reenforcing its soldiers and forces” astatine the subject base, said Morgan, adding that determination are layers to the unfolding situation.

“What we recognize from subject sources is that contempt the information that the RSF has taken implicit the service part there, the forces themselves were not contiguous wrong the basal itself,” said Morgan.

“They had withdrawn and rebased themselves astir the city, truthful technically, portion the RSF does power the infantry part that utilized to beryllium to the Sudanese service there, it does not person afloat power of the metropolis of el-Fasher itself.”

El-Fasher would beryllium a important subject and governmental triumph for the RSF and could hasten a carnal divided of the state by enabling the paramilitary radical to consolidate its power implicit the immense Darfur region, which it has identified arsenic the basal for a parallel authorities established this summer.

Activists person agelong warned that an RSF takeover of the metropolis would besides pb to taste attacks, arsenic seen aft the seizure of the Zamzam campy to the south.

Last week, the RSF said it was facilitating the exit of civilians and surrendered fighters from el-Fasher, but those who person near person reported robberies, intersexual assaults, and killings by RSF soldiers connected the way.

A United Nations-mandated ngo said past period the RSF had committed aggregate crimes against humanity successful the siege of el-Fasher. SAF has besides been accused of atrocities.

Four UN agencies warned this week that thousands of children look imminent decease arsenic they stay chopped disconnected from nutrient and healthcare.

UN adept Radhouane Nouicer raised concerns this week astir intensifying drone attacks by some sides. RSF attacks connected powerfulness infrastructure connected Tuesday knocked retired energy crossed aggregate cities and injured six workers.

For a fourth consecutive day on Friday, RSF drones targeted Khartoum International Airport, which the service had hoped to reopen aft retaking the superior successful March. The reopening has been postponed arsenic a result.

The conflict, which began successful April 2023, has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 12 cardinal and near 30 cardinal successful request of aid, making it the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

In caller months, United States President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to intensify efforts to extremity the warfare successful Sudan. But with his overseas argumentation absorption presently zeroed successful connected shoring up a fragile Gaza ceasefire and uncovering a mode to scope immoderate benignant of ceasefire successful Russia’s warfare successful Ukraine, arsenic good arsenic commercialized deals, Sudan has not been a priority.