NEW YORK CITY: The UN on Monday urged warring military faction the Rapid Support Forces to allow civilians in Sudan to flee the besieged city of El-Fasher, and to grant safe passage for humanitarian aid. Intensified fighting has left thousands trapped in life-threatening conditions, it warned. Denise Brown, the UN’s resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, said the UN had received “multiple reports of intensification of fighting in El-Fasher” over the past 24 hours, though she could not confirm claims that the RSF had taken full control of the city.

Despite this apparent victory for the paramilitary group, the besieged city of el-Fasher's status has not changed.

The fall of el-Fasher would cement the RSF's control of the west and reinforces a de facto split in the nation.