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Alsharq Tribune-Ahmed Essam
Military clashes have intensified in recent days between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State in western Sudan.
While the RSF claimed on Tuesday that it had taken control of strategic positions near a major military base, the Sudanese army announced it had repelled a large-scale attack, affirming that the situation inside the city was "fully under the control."
The RSF on Tuesday released videos on the social media platform X claiming its fighters had taken control of military positions near the sixth Infantry Division headquarters, the main army base in El Fasher.
"Our forces continue to tighten the noose on Sudanese army positions from several fronts. We are advancing with calculated tactics in the northern, eastern, and southern parts of the city, and have also entered the Abu Shouk displacement camp," RSF advisor Mustafa Ibrahim said in the post.
"A full declaration of control over El Fasher is near," he added.
In response, the SAF announced on Tuesday that they had repelled a new RSF assault from the southern and northeastern flanks of El Fasher, using infantry and armored vehicles.
According to a statement from the SAF's sixth Infantry Division, the clashes, which began with skirmishes at 6 a.m. local time, escalated into full-scale fighting that lasted for eight hours, during which its forces "crushed the RSF militia mercenaries" and inflicted "heavy losses" on them.
According to military analysts, El Fasher's strategic importance as the last major city in North Darfur under army control, and as a key political, military, and economic hub, has made its fate central to the conflict.
"The battle for El Fasher is a real test for the army. Its continued grip on the city carries significant political implications, most notably that it has not abandoned western Sudan," Sudanese military analyst Ahmed Ismail told Xinhua.
On the other hand, military analyst Ali Abdel-Hafeez argued that the RSF is betting on "a war of exhaustion," through intensified attacks and artillery shelling aimed at breaking troop morale and pushing civilians to pressure the army to withdraw.
"However, this strategy could backfire if it results in mass killing or widespread destruction, potentially prompting stronger international condemnation, as seen recently after the bombing of a mosque in El Fasher," Abdel-Hafeez told Xinhua.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in El Fasher is rapidly deteriorating amid intensified clashes.
Local civil resistance committees reported an almost total collapse of basic services, warning of a looming humanitarian catastrophe if the fighting continues at its current pace.
"There must be an immediate military effort to break the siege on El Fasher," the Coordination of Resistance Committees in El Fasher, a volunteer group, said in a statement.
UN and regional organizations have expressed deep concern over the continued fighting in El Fasher, warning of worsening humanitarian conditions.
Denise Brown, UN resident coordinator in Sudan, said on Monday that the absence of security guarantees has prevented the UN from delivering aid to the besieged El Fasher since May 10, 2024.
"The UN secretary general at least six weeks ago called for a ceasefire. Let the humanitarian community go in," she urged. "SAF has agreed, RSF has not agreed. So that is the difficulty we are facing right now."
Sudan remains gripped by a conflict between the SAF and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, both internally and across borders, deepening the country's humanitarian crisis.
