KHARTOUM: The western Sudanese city of El-Fasher has been under siege for over a year, with paramilitary forces pressing to capture it amid a war with the army that began in April 2023. The city has become a major battleground as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attempt to seize the last army-controlled stronghold in the Darfur region. After losing much of central Sudan, including Khartoum earlier this year, the RSF is pushing westward in a bid to consolidate power and set up a rival authority.
Fighting in El-Fasher pits the Sudanese army and allied Joint Forces a coalition of former rebel groups against the RSF. These groups, initially neutral, sided with the military in late 2023 after RSF-led ethnic massacres in El-Geneina and the fall of four Darfur state capitals.
The RSF traces its origins to the Janjaweed militias, accused of atrocities in Darfur in the early 2000s that killed an estimated 300,000 people. The current conflict stems from a split between army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo over the integration of the paramilitary forces into the army.
Also Read:
Empowering the Blockchain Ecosystem of the Middle East: Mohamad Abdulrazak
