The capital city of North Darfur state, El-Fasher, is enduring an intensified battle, with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) declaring they have taken control of the city after seizing a key army base from the rival Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
While there is no official comment from the Sudanese army, informed sources said that SAF has not lost control of the city and is preparing for a counterattack to recapture the base.
RSF Advances in El-Fasher
On Sunday, the RSF released a statement claiming that its forces had taken control of El-Fasher after capturing the 6th Infantry Division command, SAF’s main base in North Darfur state, following fierce battles.
The RSF spokesperson said the paramilitary group’s forces “managed to liberate the 6th Division in El-Fasher, breaking the back of the army and its allies by establishing full control over this strategic military base.”
He added that the RSF is coordinating with a “founding government” to protect civilians in the city, provide safe corridors for those who wish to move, and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Videos circulating on social media, verified by BBC, show army vehicles retreating from the base and RSF fighters celebrating inside the 6th Infantry Division command.
Tactical Retreat
On the other hand, a spokesperson for the Popular Resistance in El-Fasher – a local pro-army group – rejected the RSF claims, accusing the paramilitary group of running a “media disinformation campaign” to undermine the forces morale and emphasizing that the people of El-Fasher were resisting and defending the city.
Meanwhile, Al-Qahera News cited a Sudanese military source saying that the army’s withdrawal from the 6th Infantry Division base was “for tactical reasons,” in preparation for an encirclement operation to conquer the infiltrating groups and recapture the base and its surrounding areas.
Battle for El-Fasher
El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, is the last major urban hub in western Darfur not under the RSF’s control. Hence, the paramilitary group has besieged the city for 18 months amid fierce fighting with SAF and local fighters, according to France 24.
Since August 2025, the RSF has launched intensified drone and artillery attacks to undermine the army’s defensive lines and seize the city, killing civilians and causing a starvation among 250,000 people remaining in El-Fasher’s west.
The capture of El-Fasher, if confirmed, will mark a significant gain for the RSF, bringing all five Darfur state capitals under its control. It could also mean the effective partition of Sudan, as the SAF controls the center, north and east, while the RSF holds Darfur region and parts of the south, with each side declaring a government.
Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis
The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023, triggering what the UN described as “the world’s most devastating humanitarian and displacement crisis,” which has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced over 12 million inside Sudan and to neighboring countries, and pushed parts of the country into famine.
Following the recent developments in El-Fasher, UN Relief Chief Tom Fletcher expressed his deep alarm over the humanitarian situation amid recent clashes between the RSF and SAF.
“With fighters pushing further into the city and escape routes cut off, hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped and terrified – shelled, starving, and without access to food, healthcare or safety,” he said on Sunday.
In the light of this, Fletcher called for an immediate ceasefire in El-Fasher, across Darfur and throughout Sudan. “Safe, rapid, and unimpeded humanitarian access must be allowed to reach all civilians in need. We have lifesaving supplies ready, but intensified attacks have made it impossible for us to get aid in. Local humanitarian workers continue to save lives under fire,” he noted.
A Push for Peace
Representatives of the Quad group – the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE – met in Washington on Friday to “advance collective efforts toward peace and stability in Sudan,” the US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs, Massad Boulos, said.
They discussed “efforts for securing an urgent humanitarian truce, achieving a permanent ceasefire, halting external support, and advancing a transition to civilian governance,” he added.
The Quad’s members reiterated their commitment to a peace roadmap proposed in September, which called for a three-month truce followed by a permanent ceasefire and transition for civilian governance. With regards to this, they agreed to “establish a Joint Operational Committee to strengthen coordination on urgent priorities,” Boulos said.
