Sudanese army forces and allied armed groups announced Sunday they had successfully repelled a major ground offensive launched by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on El Fasher, the last major government stronghold in the Darfur region.
Clashes erupted early in the morning along the eastern and northeastern edges of the city, as RSF units attempted to penetrate fortified army positions. The renewed assault comes amid weeks of escalating drone and artillery bombardments that have intensified a humanitarian crisis in North Darfur’s capital.
According to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the RSF launched the attack after a sustained artillery barrage, targeting military installations, civilian areas, and a shelter for displaced families.
In a statement, First Sergeant Assia Al-Khalifa Ghibla of the army’s 6th Infantry Division said government troops “repelled a desperate attack” and inflicted “heavy losses” on the RSF, including the destruction of multiple armored vehicles. The report also claimed dozens of RSF fighters were killed or wounded during the fighting.
A spokesperson for the joint force of allied movements fighting alongside the SAF confirmed that resistance forces maintained control over all defensive lines and reported high morale among troops. “El Fasher remains beyond the reach of this militia,” the spokesperson said, referring to the RSF, which is led by the powerful Dagalo family.
Civilian Shelter Targeted Amid Retreat
In the aftermath of the ground offensive, RSF artillery reportedly struck a displacement shelter at the Ministry of Agriculture complex, killing at least five civilians and injuring more than 30 others, according to North Darfur Governor Al-Hafiz Bakhit.
The governor accused the RSF of targeting civilians “in frustration” as their forces retreated from the battlefield. He added that multiple RSF vehicles had been destroyed or captured during the fighting, which lasted until midday.
Local sources told WAJ that the RSF had also shelled the Abu Shouk displacement camp and a former UN compound now housing allied forces, contributing to growing fear and desperation among the city’s besieged population.
Siege and Starvation
El Fasher has been under a tightening RSF siege since April 2024, leaving more than 500,000 residents trapped and facing food shortages, medicine scarcity, and rising prices. Humanitarian agencies warn of worsening famine conditions, particularly affecting children, the elderly, and pregnant women.
“The humanitarian situation is catastrophic,” said a local aid worker who asked not to be named. “Every day there are new deaths, not only from the fighting but from hunger.”
The RSF’s attempt to seize El Fasher is part of its broader strategy to consolidate control across the Darfur region, where ethnic militias and power dynamics remain volatile following years of unresolved conflict and fragile ceasefires.
While the Sudanese military continues to hold ground in El Fasher, analysts warn that unless humanitarian access is restored and diplomatic pressure increases, the conflict could trigger a mass civilian exodus and further destabilize western Sudan.