**Powerful Paramilitary Group Claims Capture of El-Fasher Amid Sudan Conflict**
Johannesburg — A powerful paramilitary force fighting the government in Sudan’s ongoing two-and-a-half-year civil war has claimed over the weekend to have captured the city of El-Fasher. The city, where hundreds of thousands of civilians have been trapped and cut off from the world for months, has been a focal point in the conflict.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed grave concern about the escalating violence. Speaking to the French news agency AFP, he described the situation around El-Fasher—the last city in the Darfur region not held by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries—as a “terrible escalation in the conflict.” He added, “The level of suffering that we are witnessing in Sudan is unbearable.”
Reports circulating on social media on Sunday indicated that RSF forces had taken control of the Sudanese Armed Forces’ 6th Division Headquarters in El-Fasher. Supporting these claims, the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL), which monitors the war via satellite imagery, confirmed a major RSF attack on El-Fasher on Sunday.
The HRL reported evidence of close-quarter battle within the city, noting that activity may correlate with reports of RSF capturing prisoners in and around the army airfield. They emphasized their ongoing commitment to monitoring satellite imagery for any signs of mass atrocities in El-Fasher.
While the RSF issued a statement asserting full control over the city, the Sudanese army maintained that fighting continued. Independent analysts cautioned that the RSF’s claim could not be independently verified at this time.
The United Nations has urged for the safe evacuation of an estimated 250,000 civilians trapped inside El-Fasher. U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher called for an immediate ceasefire in the city to facilitate civilian escape.
The RSF has besieged El-Fasher for weeks, constructing an earthen berm around the city to halt supplies and prevent the movement of people. As the last remaining stronghold of the Sudanese army in the Darfur region, the full capture of El-Fasher by the RSF would leave the paramilitary group in control of all five states within Darfur.
Analysts warn that RSF leaders have indicated intentions to formally partition Sudan and establish a parallel government in territories under their control.
Unverified images shared on social media reportedly show RSF fighters walking among bodies and injured civilians while celebrating inside El-Fasher on Sunday.
Fighting has persisted around El-Fasher for 18 months, leaving tens of thousands of residents trapped without access to essential supplies such as food and medical aid. Communication with the outside world remains extremely limited.
Eyewitness accounts reveal that drone strikes and artillery bombardments have become part of daily life as the Sudanese army and RSF continue to battle over control of this critical city.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sudan-civil-war-escalates-rsf-attack-el-fasher/