The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said Sunday it had seized full control of the Sudanese army’s 6th Infantry Division headquarters in El Fasher, the main military base in North Darfur, after months of siege and intense fighting.
In a statement, the RSF described the takeover as “a decisive turning point” in its campaign against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), declaring that its fighters had “liberated” the division and were now working with what it called a “founding government” to protect civilians, enable humanitarian aid, and facilitate the return of displaced people.
Local activists and residents, however, disputed the RSF’s account. Abubakr Al-Imam, a spokesperson for El Fasher’s popular resistance, said on Facebook that the city had not fallen and that residents continued to “defend their land and dignity.” He accused the RSF of waging a “misleading media campaign” to create panic.
Field reports suggested that the army withdrew from the division’s command late Saturday, regrouping in El Fasher’s western neighborhoods following heavy RSF bombardments. Although the Sudanese army has not issued an official statement, pro-army sources insist fighting remains ongoing.
For more than a year, El Fasher has endured repeated RSF assaults, severe shelling, and reports of atrocities. Human rights groups accuse the RSF of targeting civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and food distribution centers, worsening the city’s dire humanitarian conditions.
Videos circulated by RSF-linked channels show fighters inside the damaged 6th Division compound, celebrating what they claim is a “victory over the army.”
El Fasher, once the last major army stronghold in Darfur, now stands at the center of Sudan’s escalating war — one that continues to devastate civilians and deepen the country’s fragmentation.