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Militias

Sudanese Militia Captures Army Headquarters in El Fasher, Sparking Fears of Mass Atrocities

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful Sudanese militia, has captured the main army headquarters in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, after an 18-month siege. The capture has sparked fears of new atrocities in a city already suffering from famine and bombings. Thousands of people have fled the city, and an average of three children are dying every day due to starvation, disease, and lack of health care.

Key Takeaways:

  • The RSF has built a 57-kilometre earthen wall around El Fasher, attacked it with frequent drone strikes and artillery shelling, and has reportedly been capturing and executing civilians who seek to leave or enter the city.
  • Famine has been officially declared at several sites around El Fasher, and an average of three children are dying every day due to starvation, disease, and lack of health care.
  • The RSF has a history of ethnic targeting, having killed an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 civilians in the West Darfur city of El Geneina in late 2023.
  • The war in Sudan has killed hundreds of thousands of people, forced 12 million to flee their homes, and left 25 million to 30 million people in dire need of humanitarian aid.
  • The RSF has established a Darfur-based parallel government in the territory it controls, pushing Sudan closer to an unofficial partition.
  • The capture of the army base in El Fasher is a "historic victory" and a "decisive turning point" in the Sudan war, according to the RSF.
  • Close to 2,000 civilians have been captured by the RSF in recent days as it pushed into the army base, according to the Darfur Network for Human Rights.
  • Relief agencies are voicing alarm, calling for the RSF to protect civilians and prevent further suffering.
  • The Trump administration has been trying to broker a ceasefire, but it failed to obtain an agreement in talks last week.

Statistics:

  • Estimated 260,000 people remain in El Fasher.
  • An average of three children are dying every day in El Fasher due to starvation, disease, and lack of health care.
  • The RSF has killed an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 civilians in the West Darfur city of El Geneina in late 2023.
  • The war in Sudan has killed hundreds of thousands of people.
  • 12 million people have been forced to flee their homes.
  • 25 million to 30 million people in Sudan are in dire need of humanitarian aid.

Sources:

  • The New York Times
  • Razan Al-Mahdi, spokesperson for the Sudan Doctors Network
  • Eric Reeves, a scholar who specializes in Sudan
  • The Darfur Network for Human Rights
  • Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council
  • Massad Boulos, the top U.S. envoy to Africa

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