Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have captured El Fasher. This city was the final Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) stronghold in the Darfur region.
This marks a significant strategic victory for the RSF. It effectively gives them control of the entire Darfur region. The takeover has sparked a severe humanitarian crisis. Reports of widespread violence are emerging from the city.
International condemnation has been swift. A coalition of Arab nations strongly denounced the RSF’s actions. They cited “horrific violations” and widespread killings in the city. The reports detail targeted attacks on civilians.
This has triggered alarms across the Middle East. Global powers are also monitoring the situation closely. There are urgent calls for an investigation into the alleged atrocities. The security situation remains chaotic.
Humanitarian crisis deepens after city’s fall
The loss of El Fasher is a devastating blow to the SAF. It was the capital of North Darfur. More importantly, it was the army’s last bastion in the vast western region.
The city had been under a brutal siege for months. Fighting between the RSF and the army, along with allied groups, escalated recently. This loss reshapes the map of Sudan’s ongoing civil war which began in April 2023.
The city was a refuge for over 1.5 million people, including hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons. Many had fled violence from other parts of Darfur. They are now trapped with no safe escape.
Aid agencies have lost their critical distribution centre. Access to food, water, and medical care is now uncertain. The United Nations has previously warned of ethnically motivated violence. There are growing fears of mass atrocities repeating past tragedies in the region.
Image: In this satellite photo provided by Planet Labs PBC, the area around the headquarters of the Sudanese military’s 6th Division in El-Fasher, Sudan, is seen on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. [Credit: Planet Labs PBC/AP]
