Nairobi, November 8 (Darfur24)
The city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, has been completely cut off from phone and internet services since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took control of the city in late October, confiscating all Starlink satellite internet equipment, according to independent sources.
Ahmed Hassan Al-Hajj, a displaced resident now in Kassab camp in Kutum, said RSF fighters have raided homes and government facilities, including the Saudi Hospital, confiscating Starlink devices and mobile phones from civilians inside the city and those fleeing it.
“Each combat vehicle now has a Starlink device for personal and military use. Some soldiers are using them to film videos of residents and post them online to reassure their families,” he said.
A resident of El Fasher, Abdel Wahid Al-Sheikh, confirmed that communication is almost entirely cut off. He said civilians avoid carrying phones for fear of being stopped, questioned, or punished.
Sources also reported strict monitoring in the Qarni and Tarrah areas, where RSF intelligence prohibits any voice communication.
Neighborhoods around El Fasher University, the research shelter center, and Al-Rashid dormitory are now in complete isolation, worsening the hardship of residents unable to contact relatives or seek help.
The RSF seized the headquarters of the Sixth Infantry Division on October 26, capturing the last remaining Sudanese army base in Darfur after more than a year and a half of siege. The fall of El Fasher followed earlier RSF control of military garrisons in West, South, East, and Central Darfur.