Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) says it's taken full control of El-Fasher – the Sudanese army's last stronghold in the Darfur region in the west of the country.
In a statement issued Sunday, the RSF claimed it had "extended control over the city of El-Fasher from the grip of mercenaries and militias," referring to the Sudanese army, which it has been fighting since April 2023.
Earlier, the group said it had captured the army's headquarters in the city, which it has held under seige for the last 10 months.
"After fierce fighting," the RSF has "liberated the Sixth Division, breaking the army's power", said the statement, describing the advance as a "victory".
RSF videos on Sunday appeared to show army vehicles retreating from its headquarters and fighters celebrating at the Sixth Infantry Division base.
Footage from Nyala, the South Darfur state capital, showed crowds celebrating alongside RSF fighters.
The Sudanese army has yet to comment, but a spokesperson for the Popular Resistance Committee – a movement supporting the army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan – rejected RSF’s version of events.
“Controlling the army’s headquarters does not mean controlling El-Fasher,” the spokesperson said.
The Popular Resistance accuses the RSF of running a "media disinformation campaign" to weaken morale, insisting residents were still "resisting in the face of terrorist militias".
Death toll from RSF attack rises to 60 in Sudan's El-Fasher: activists
Turning point
War broke out in Sudan in 2023, when the Sudanese army and the RSF, once allies, turned against each other.
It has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 12 million people.
Since August, the RSF has intensified artillery and drone attacks on El-Fasher, eroding the army's last defensive lines after more than 18 months of siege.
According to activists, 60 people were killed in a drone and artillery attack at a displacement camp earlier this month.
Capture of the city, if confirmed, would be a significant political victory for the RSF.
The paramilitary group has described it as a "turning point" in the war.
It would bring all five Darfur state capitals under RSF control, consolidating its recently established parallel administration in Nyala.
Analysts have warned this could hasten a physical split of the country, with the army holding the north, east and centre, and the RSF dominating the vast Darfur region and parts of the south.
RSF's announcement comes just two days after the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (the Quad) agreed to form a Joint Operational Committee to coordinate efforts towards peace and stability in Sudan.
Sudan specialist Roland Marchal told RFI the capture of El-Fasher, if confirmed, could provide RSF with political leverage in future Quad talks.
Starvation spreads from camps to besieged Sudanese city of El-Fasher
Humanitarian disaster
Around 260,000 civilians, half of them children, remain trapped in El-Fasher without aid or food.
Four UN agencies warned on Thursday that thousands of malnourished children are at "imminent risk of death" amid the collapse of health services.
Reports of killings, sexual violence and forced recruitment were mounting daily, they added.
The UN had earlier voiced alarm over potential massacres targeting non-Arab communities in El-Fasher, similar to those reported after the RSF captured the nearby Zamzam camp in April.
Despite repeated international appeals, the two sides, who have both been accused of committing atrocities, have ignored calls for a ceasefire.
(with newswires)
