RSF Seizes Control in El-Fasher Amid Ongoing Sudanese Conflict

In a harrowing seven-hour clash, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured crucial areas in El-Fasher, including a cattle market and a prison, pushing the city further into a humanitarian disaster marked by violence and starvation.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a Sudanese paramilitary group, launched a significant offensive in the beleaguered city of El-Fasher on Friday, engaging in a brutal clash that lasted for seven hours. Witnesses reported that RSF fighters stormed the city, seizing control of pivotal locations such as a cattle market, a prison, and a military base, sharing videos of their movements around the deserted stockyards on social media. This offensive marks the first large-scale entry of RSF fighters into El-Fasher since the siege began 15 months ago, as they contend for dominance over the western Darfur city.

In response, the Sudanese army retaliated on Saturday, managing to push the RSF back beyond the city's limits while claiming to have inflicted “heavy losses” on the paramilitary group. However, local resident Siddig Omar reported that shelling continued throughout the day, with a drone strike tragically resulting in the deaths of five civilians inside a vehicle close to his home.

The ongoing civil war in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023 due to a power struggle between the army and the RSF, has led to widespread devastation, famine, and atrocities in Darfur. This conflict has claimed over 150,000 lives across the nation and displaced around 12 million people, creating what the United Nations has called the world's largest humanitarian crisis. While El-Fasher remains under military control, a communications blackout has hindered efforts to confirm details from the encumbered city where only those with satellite internet connections can relay information.

The latest RSF attacks followed weeks of artillery and drone strikes, which are suspected to be funded by external entities, including allegations pointed toward the United Arab Emirates. As the RSF pushes deeper into El-Fasher, tales of horror from local residents have emerged, including local volunteers risking their lives to provide limited food supplies to starving families.

Mathilde Vu, from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), characterized El-Fasher as a "death trap," where desperate locals are faced with dire conditions, and basic necessities like food and medicine are virtually nonexistent. Some residents described their reliance on "ombaz," a byproduct of peanut oil production, but even that resource has dwindled due to the ongoing conflict.

In a stark reminder of the situation's gravity, nearly 379,000 individuals have fled to Tawila, a surrounding area now grappling with cholera outbreaks and the threat of collapsing temporary shelters due to rainfall. Reports from those fleeing indicate significant trauma and peril, with armed groups targeting fleeing civilians.

Despite the urgent need for humanitarian assistance, the international community's engagement has remained lackluster, and funding has significantly decreased as the humanitarian crisis exacerbates. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has indicated that there are reasonable grounds to suspect war crimes and crimes against humanity are being committed in Darfur, further complicating the region's political landscape.

With critical resources vanishing and the situation escalating, local residents in El-Fasher are left hoping for support even as they confront ongoing threats from armed factions amidst a dire humanitarian crisis.