Fears for civilians trapped in Sudan's El-Fasher intensifies as fighting flares
The governor of Sudan’s Darfur region on Monday called for the urgent protection of civilians in El-Fasher as the UN human rights chief warned of the risk of ethnically-motivated "atrocities". The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces claimed to have seized the last army stronghold in Darfur following an 18-month siege that left the city devastated and on the brink of famine.
Issued on: 27/10/2025
By: FRANCE 24
Communications remain cut across the city, including satellite networks, leaving El-Fasher in a "media blackout", according to the Sudanese Journalists' Syndicate.
The United Nations' migration agency said 2,500 to 3,000 people fled El-Fasher on Sunday, seeking safety within the city or westward to Tawila and Mellit towns.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk also warned on Monday that El-Fasher was in an "extremely precarious situation", with the likelihood of "ethnically-motivated violations and atrocities" rising after paramilitary forces claimed control.
"The risk of further large-scale, ethnically-motivated violations and atrocities in El-Fasher is mounting by the day," Turk said in a statement, calling for "urgent and concrete action ... to ensure the protection of civilians in El-Fasher and safe passage for those trying to reach relative safety".
Darfur governor Minni Minnawi, who is allied with the Sudanese army, on Monday called for the "protection of civilians" and "an independent investigation into the violations and massacres carried out by the militia away from public view", referring to the RSF.
Sudan's de facto leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, appeared publicly on Sunday night but only for a meeting with the Turkish ambassador in Port Sudan.
The army-led Transitional Sovereignty Council said they discussed the "siege imposed by the terrorist Rapid Support militia on El-Fasher".
Tom Fletcher, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), called for safe passage for civilians trapped in the fighting.
Access to the city remains severely restricted due to ongoing combat.
Surviving on animal feed': Escaping residents describe siege of Sudan's al-Fashir
Atrocities
Despite RSF assurances of civilian protection, the local resistance committee accused the group of committing atrocities, saying that since Sunday, innocent civilians had suffered "the worst forms of violence and ethnic cleansing".
The journalists' syndicate expressed "deep concern for the safety of journalists" in El-Fasher, saying that independent reporter Muammar Ibrahim has been held by RSF forces since Sunday.
A video circulated by the RSF appeared to show fighters detaining dozens of men in civilian clothing, accusing them of supporting the army and the Joint Forces.
The Joint Forces is an alliance of armed groups which has fought alongside the military since late 2023, when RSF fighters massacred between 10,000 and 15,000 members of the non-Arab Masalit community in the capital of West Darfur, El-Geneina.
Since August, the RSF has intensified artillery and drone attacks on El-Fasher, gradually eroding the army's last defensive positions.
If confirmed, the city's capture would mark a significant turning point in Sudan's two-year war, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 12 million people.
It would give the RSF control over all five state capitals in Darfur, consolidating its parallel administration in Nyala, and potentially partitioning Sudan, with the army holding the north, east and centre, and the RSF dominating Darfur and parts of the south.
Around 260,000 civilians, half of them children, remain in El-Fasher without aid.
Four UN agencies said that thousands of malnourished children are at "imminent risk of death" amid the collapse of health services, while killings, sexual violence and forced recruitment continue.
Famine was declared earlier this year in several displacement camps around the city, with the UN warning it could spread to El-Fasher where residents have resorted to eating animal fodder.
The UN has also warned of potential massacres targeting non-Arab communities, echoing atrocities after the RSF captured Zamzam camp in April.
Elsewhere, fighting also intensified in North Kordofan's Bara city, in central Sudan, which the RSF regained from the army on Saturday.
The Emergency Lawyers, a war-monitoring group, accused the RSF of a "horrific massacre" following the army's withdrawal, reporting mass executions that killed hundreds, primarily young residents, alongside arrests, looting and destruction of property amid a total communications blackout.
Now well into its third year, the war has spiralled into what the United Nations describes as the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis. Despite international calls for a ceasefire, both sides remain unwilling to negotiate.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
The governor of Sudan’s Darfur region on Monday called for the urgent protection of civilians in El-Fasher as the UN human rights chief warned of the risk of ethnically-motivated "atrocities". The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces claimed to have seized the last army stronghold in Darfur following an 18-month siege that left the city devastated and on the brink of famine.
Issued on: 27/10/2025
By: FRANCE 24
File photo of Sudanese civilians gathered to receive aid in El Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region taken August 11, 2025. © AFP (STR)
The army-aligned governor of Sudan's Darfur region called for the protection of civilians in the stricken city of El-Fasher on Monday, after paramilitaries claimed to have seized it following a brutal 18-month siege.
Pro-democracy activists reported fighting "in the vicinity of El-Fasher airport and several areas west of the city".
The group, known as a local resistance committee, said in a statement there was a "complete absence of air support" to protect residents.
The Rapid Support Forces said on Sunday they had captured the city, the last state capital in the vast Darfur region yet to fall to the paramilitaries.
The army-aligned governor of Sudan's Darfur region called for the protection of civilians in the stricken city of El-Fasher on Monday, after paramilitaries claimed to have seized it following a brutal 18-month siege.
Pro-democracy activists reported fighting "in the vicinity of El-Fasher airport and several areas west of the city".
The group, known as a local resistance committee, said in a statement there was a "complete absence of air support" to protect residents.
The Rapid Support Forces said on Sunday they had captured the city, the last state capital in the vast Darfur region yet to fall to the paramilitaries.
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces claim capture of key Darfur city
Communications remain cut across the city, including satellite networks, leaving El-Fasher in a "media blackout", according to the Sudanese Journalists' Syndicate.
The United Nations' migration agency said 2,500 to 3,000 people fled El-Fasher on Sunday, seeking safety within the city or westward to Tawila and Mellit towns.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk also warned on Monday that El-Fasher was in an "extremely precarious situation", with the likelihood of "ethnically-motivated violations and atrocities" rising after paramilitary forces claimed control.
"The risk of further large-scale, ethnically-motivated violations and atrocities in El-Fasher is mounting by the day," Turk said in a statement, calling for "urgent and concrete action ... to ensure the protection of civilians in El-Fasher and safe passage for those trying to reach relative safety".
RSF paramilitary drone strike kills at least 75 people in war-torn Sudan
Darfur governor Minni Minnawi, who is allied with the Sudanese army, on Monday called for the "protection of civilians" and "an independent investigation into the violations and massacres carried out by the militia away from public view", referring to the RSF.
Sudan's de facto leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, appeared publicly on Sunday night but only for a meeting with the Turkish ambassador in Port Sudan.
The army-led Transitional Sovereignty Council said they discussed the "siege imposed by the terrorist Rapid Support militia on El-Fasher".
Tom Fletcher, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), called for safe passage for civilians trapped in the fighting.
Access to the city remains severely restricted due to ongoing combat.
Surviving on animal feed': Escaping residents describe siege of Sudan's al-Fashir
© France 24
01:45
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Atrocities
Despite RSF assurances of civilian protection, the local resistance committee accused the group of committing atrocities, saying that since Sunday, innocent civilians had suffered "the worst forms of violence and ethnic cleansing".
The journalists' syndicate expressed "deep concern for the safety of journalists" in El-Fasher, saying that independent reporter Muammar Ibrahim has been held by RSF forces since Sunday.
A video circulated by the RSF appeared to show fighters detaining dozens of men in civilian clothing, accusing them of supporting the army and the Joint Forces.
The Joint Forces is an alliance of armed groups which has fought alongside the military since late 2023, when RSF fighters massacred between 10,000 and 15,000 members of the non-Arab Masalit community in the capital of West Darfur, El-Geneina.
Since August, the RSF has intensified artillery and drone attacks on El-Fasher, gradually eroding the army's last defensive positions.
If confirmed, the city's capture would mark a significant turning point in Sudan's two-year war, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 12 million people.
It would give the RSF control over all five state capitals in Darfur, consolidating its parallel administration in Nyala, and potentially partitioning Sudan, with the army holding the north, east and centre, and the RSF dominating Darfur and parts of the south.
Around 260,000 civilians, half of them children, remain in El-Fasher without aid.
Sudan war's devastating impact on women and girls
Four UN agencies said that thousands of malnourished children are at "imminent risk of death" amid the collapse of health services, while killings, sexual violence and forced recruitment continue.
Famine was declared earlier this year in several displacement camps around the city, with the UN warning it could spread to El-Fasher where residents have resorted to eating animal fodder.
The UN has also warned of potential massacres targeting non-Arab communities, echoing atrocities after the RSF captured Zamzam camp in April.
Elsewhere, fighting also intensified in North Kordofan's Bara city, in central Sudan, which the RSF regained from the army on Saturday.
The Emergency Lawyers, a war-monitoring group, accused the RSF of a "horrific massacre" following the army's withdrawal, reporting mass executions that killed hundreds, primarily young residents, alongside arrests, looting and destruction of property amid a total communications blackout.
Now well into its third year, the war has spiralled into what the United Nations describes as the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis. Despite international calls for a ceasefire, both sides remain unwilling to negotiate.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) says it's taken full control of El-Fasher – the Sudanese army's last stronghold in the Darfur region in the west of the country.
Issued on: 26/10/2025 - RFI
A makeshift bunker dug by civilians in El-Fasher as a hideout from clashes between the RSF and the Sudanese army and allied militias. © Muammar Ibrahim / AFP
In a statement issued Sunday, the RSF claimed it had "extended control over the city of El-Fasher from the grip of mercenaries and militias," referring to the Sudanese army, which it has been fighting since April 2023.
Earlier, the group said it had captured the army's headquarters in the city, which it has held under seige for the last 10 months.
"After fierce fighting," the RSF has "liberated the Sixth Division, breaking the army's power", said the statement, describing the advance as a "victory".
RSF videos on Sunday appeared to show army vehicles retreating from its headquarters and fighters celebrating at the Sixth Infantry Division base.
Footage from Nyala, the South Darfur state capital, showed crowds celebrating alongside RSF fighters.
The Sudanese army has yet to comment, but a spokesperson for the Popular Resistance Committee – a movement supporting the army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan – rejected RSF’s version of events.
“Controlling the army’s headquarters does not mean controlling El-Fasher,” the spokesperson said.
The Popular Resistance accuses the RSF of running a "media disinformation campaign" to weaken morale, insisting residents were still "resisting in the face of terrorist militias".
In a statement issued Sunday, the RSF claimed it had "extended control over the city of El-Fasher from the grip of mercenaries and militias," referring to the Sudanese army, which it has been fighting since April 2023.
Earlier, the group said it had captured the army's headquarters in the city, which it has held under seige for the last 10 months.
"After fierce fighting," the RSF has "liberated the Sixth Division, breaking the army's power", said the statement, describing the advance as a "victory".
RSF videos on Sunday appeared to show army vehicles retreating from its headquarters and fighters celebrating at the Sixth Infantry Division base.
Footage from Nyala, the South Darfur state capital, showed crowds celebrating alongside RSF fighters.
The Sudanese army has yet to comment, but a spokesperson for the Popular Resistance Committee – a movement supporting the army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan – rejected RSF’s version of events.
“Controlling the army’s headquarters does not mean controlling El-Fasher,” the spokesperson said.
The Popular Resistance accuses the RSF of running a "media disinformation campaign" to weaken morale, insisting residents were still "resisting in the face of terrorist militias".
El-Fasher in southwestern Sudan. © Studio FMM
Turning point
War broke out in Sudan in 2023, when the Sudanese army and the RSF, once allies, turned against each other.
It has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 12 million people.
Since August, the RSF has intensified artillery and drone attacks on El-Fasher, eroding the army's last defensive lines after more than 18 months of siege.
According to activists, 60 people were killed in a drone and artillery attack at a displacement camp earlier this month.
Capture of the city, if confirmed, would be a significant political victory for the RSF.
The paramilitary group has described it as a "turning point" in the war.
It would bring all five Darfur state capitals under RSF control, consolidating its recently established parallel administration in Nyala.
Analysts have warned this could hasten a physical split of the country, with the army holding the north, east and centre, and the RSF dominating the vast Darfur region and parts of the south.
RSF's announcement comes just two days after the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (the Quad) agreed to form a Joint Operational Committee to coordinate efforts towards peace and stability in Sudan.
Sudan specialist Roland Marchal told RFI the capture of El-Fasher, if confirmed, could provide RSF with political leverage in future Quad talks.
People who fled the Zamzam camp for the internally displaced after it fell under RSF control, queue for food rations near the town of Tawila in war-torn Sudan's western Darfur region, 13 April, 2025. © AFP
Humanitarian disaster
Around 260,000 civilians, half of them children, remain trapped in El-Fasher without aid or food.
Four UN agencies warned on Thursday that thousands of malnourished children are at "imminent risk of death" amid the collapse of health services.
Reports of killings, sexual violence and forced recruitment were mounting daily, they added.
The UN had earlier voiced alarm over potential massacres targeting non-Arab communities in El-Fasher, similar to those reported after the RSF captured the nearby Zamzam camp in April.
Despite repeated international appeals, the two sides, who have both been accused of committing atrocities, have ignored calls for a ceasefire.
(with newswires)
RSF claims El-Fasher takeover as Sudan conflict worsens
Issued on: 27/10/2025 - FRAHCE24
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have released videos claiming their takeover of the Sudanese army headquarters in El-Fasher, the last army stronghold in Darfur. While RSF soldiers celebrate, local army-allied fighters say fighting continues. If the city falls, all five Darfur state capitals would be under RSF control, amid an 18-month siege that has caused severe starvation and displaced millions in Sudan’s two-year war.
Issued on: 27/10/2025 - FRAHCE24
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have released videos claiming their takeover of the Sudanese army headquarters in El-Fasher, the last army stronghold in Darfur. While RSF soldiers celebrate, local army-allied fighters say fighting continues. If the city falls, all five Darfur state capitals would be under RSF control, amid an 18-month siege that has caused severe starvation and displaced millions in Sudan’s two-year war.
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