Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces captured the city from the army after an 18-month siege – but who are they and what do they want?
Another devastating chapter in Sudan’s brutal civil war has taken place as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces captured El Fasher from the army after an 18-month siege that trapped tens of thousands of civilians in the city in Darfur. The RSF now controls all major urban centres in Darfur, a development that raises the possibility the country could face partition.
In a statement on Sunday, the RSF said it had “extended control over the city of El Fasher from the grip of mercenaries and militias”. The day after, the Sudanese army chief, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, confirmed that his forces had withdrawn from the city “to a safer location”, effectively conceding its loss.
Since then the RSF has been accused of killing hundreds of unarmed civilians in ethnically motivated attacks. The group has also been accused of hunting down specific individuals, detaining civilians, and releasing them only after receiving ransom payments – a pattern consistent with what happened after the RSF took over other major cities.
Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab has said the level of violence is comparable to the first 24 hours of the Rwandan genocide.
