The Media Line: Sudanese Military Retain Control of Darfur Capital in Battle Against Anti-Government Forces

Sudanese Military Retain Control of Darfur Capital in Battle Against Anti-Government Forces

Alongside its allied militias, the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group launched an attack Friday on one of Darfur’s provincial capitals, inflaming fears of international observers and residents alike for the safety of the city’s 800,000 inhabitants, many of whom have already been displaced by the conflict.

The RSF-led military incursion into El-Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur province, was reportedly repulsed by the defending Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and its partners following more than six hours of fierce fighting across the city’s eastern neighborhoods, local officials and residents said.

The RSF, once a state-backed group under the umbrella of the Sudanese military, has been in open conflict with the internationally recognized government since April of last year following a dispute between the two factions’ leaderships.

Over the last few months, the RSF, leading a coalition of other armed Arab groups, has reportedly been gathering forces to mount a full-scale attack on El-Fasher, a prospect that the United Nations warns would have “devastating consequences.”

Before Friday’s attack, the RSF-led forces had allegedly already attacked some of El-Fasher’s northern neighborhoods and several small villages adjacent to the city.