The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are locked in brutal urban combat to defend El-Fasher, the last major city under government control in war-ravaged Darfur — and a vital prize for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as the civil war nears its second year.
Intense street battles erupted late last week as RSF units launched a renewed offensive from El-Fasher’s southern and western flanks, pushing deep into residential neighbourhoods and sparking some of the heaviest clashes since the conflict began in April 2023.
By Jarryd Sinovich
SAF commanders claim they have launched counterattacks, retaking strategic sites including the notorious Shala prison and the Central Reserve Police headquarters. But RSF sources deny this, insisting they still control key installations like El-Fasher’s vital livestock market — with conflicting propaganda footage circulating online as the city’s communications blackout deepens.
Civilians Trapped in a Siege
For El-Fasher’s civilians, life has become a daily nightmare of shelling, drone strikes, and desperate survival. Witnesses describe families digging bunkers in courtyards to escape bombardment, while hospitals have collapsed under the relentless fighting. At least eight civilians were killed this week when an RSF drone strike hit a makeshift bomb shelter.
“The shelling hasn’t stopped for days. They’re fighting near the airport now,” said Salah Issa, a resident of the central Awlad al-Rif neighbourhood.
United Nations officials warn that El-Fasher’s fall could trigger mass atrocities, with over a million people effectively trapped in the city without access to critical aid or safe passage out.
A Pivotal Battle for Darfur — and Sudan
El-Fasher is more than just another frontline. Its loss would cement RSF dominance over western Sudan and dramatically shift the balance of power after the paramilitary force was forced to retreat from Khartoum earlier this year. Observers say the outcome could reshape the conflict’s trajectory — with dangerous ripple effects for an already unstable Sahel region.
Since the civil war erupted in April 2023, it has become one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, claiming tens of thousands of lives and displacing more than 14 million people.
As the SAF and RSF continue their fight for El-Fasher street by street, the world watches to see whether Sudan’s army can hold its last Darfur stronghold — or if the city’s fall will mark another devastating turn in a conflict that shows no sign of slowing down.
