Renewed fighting erupted in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, on Sunday morning, leading to a continued exodus, according to reports from Sudan. Médecins Sans Frontières reported that the clashes in El Fasher resulted in over 130 deaths and about a thousand injuries, though the actual number of casualties is believed to be much higher, as this figure only represents those who were able to reach the southern hospital in the area.
Clashes in El Fasher began about two weeks ago, despite international calls to cease the fighting between the Sudanese army and allied movements on one side, and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary on the other.
Reports about the control of El Fasher are conflicting; while the Sudanese army claims to have taken control of the city and pushed the Rapid Support Forces beyond its eastern boundaries, the Rapid Support Forces claim they successfully repelled a new attack by the army in El Fasher.
Importance of El Fasher
El Fasher is the historic capital of the Darfur region in western Sudan and holds a significant strategic location as it connects northern Sudan to the cities of Darfur. The city is also rich in community diversity, representing nearly all the tribes of the region and boasts an international airport. It remains the last stronghold held by the Sudanese army in Darfur, after the Rapid Support Forces took control of almost all the major cities in the region. This success by the Rapid Support Forces in Darfur has led armed movements in the region to unite and join the war under the banner of the Sudanese army, after months of remaining neutral.
Humanitarian Situation
El Fasher now hosts large numbers of displaced people from nearby villages and cities fallen into the hands of the Rapid Support Forces, signaling a potential large-scale humanitarian tragedy if El Fasher also falls. The United Nations Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, has called for an end to the raging violence in Sudan. In a statement, Clementine mentioned that “hundreds of thousands of children, women, and men in North Darfur are once again besieged due to the fighting.”
Military Perspectives
According to Brigadier Jamal Al-Shaheed, a Sudanese military and strategic expert, the army still has a significant opportunity not only in El Fasher but also to regain other cities of Darfur from the Rapid Support Forces. He noted internal conflicts and divisions within the Rapid Support Forces, weakening their effectiveness and support among Sudanese people, despite using mercenaries from outside the country for financial gain.
Meanwhile, a prominent Sudanese army general revealed that a deal is being negotiated with Russia to secure military equipment in exchange for granting Moscow a logistical military base on the Red Sea. Brigadier Jamal Al-Shaheed noted that the weapons used in the Sudanese army are primarily Russian, highlighting a longstanding cooperation between Sudan and Russia, recently revitalized by a significant visit from the Russian President’s Special Envoy to the Middle East and Africa, Mikhail Bogdanov, to Sudan in April.
