Sudan Crisis Deepens: RSF Claims Capture of Final Army Stronghold in Darfur Region

About 260,000 civilians, half of them children, are trapped in El-Fasher without aid or food supplies.

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces announced Sunday they had captured the army headquarters in El-Fasher, the final major urban center in western Darfur region not under their control.

The RSF stated they had "liberated the Sixth Division... and broken the backbone of the Islamic Movement Army," referring to the national military forces they have been fighting since April 2023.

AFP could not independently verify the headquarters takeover, and neither the army nor its allied forces responded to requests for comment.

In a statement, the Popular Resistance—local fighters allied with the army—accused the RSF of conducting a "growing media disinformation campaign" designed to undermine morale and suggest that "entering the division headquarters would mean the fall of El-Fasher".

The group maintained that residents were still "resisting in the face of terrorist militias".

The RSF has intensified artillery and drone attacks on El-Fasher since August, with the city having been under siege for over 18 months.

In recent weeks, the paramilitary group has seized several parts of the city and overrun nearby displacement camps, weakening the army's final defensive positions.

Drone footage released by the RSF on Sunday appeared to show army vehicles withdrawing from the headquarters, while another video displayed fighters celebrating beside a sign marked "Sixth Division Infantry".

A third video from South Darfur's capital, Nyala, showed crowds of men on pick-up trucks and tuk-tuks celebrating alongside RSF fighters, honking horns and making victory signs as women ululated in the streets.

If confirmed, the RSF's claim would represent a significant victory for the paramilitaries in Sudan's two-year conflict, which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced nearly 12 million people.

It would also bring all five state capitals in the vast Darfur region under RSF control, where the paramilitary group has established a parallel government.

Approximately 260,000 civilians—half of them children—remain trapped in El-Fasher, without access to aid and food supplies.

The UN has expressed concern about possible massacres in El-Fasher against non-Arab communities similar to those reported after the RSF captured the nearby Zamzam camp in April.

Analysts also suggest the RSF advance could leave Sudan effectively divided, with the army controlling the north, east and center, while the RSF dominates Darfur and parts of the south.