El Fasher, June 15(Darfur 24)
Armed clashes resumed in El Fasher, North Darfur, on Sunday between the army, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and their allies.
Eyewitnesses told Darfur 24 that the Rapid Support Forces began their attack in the early hours of the morning, launching intense artillery shelling from 2:00 a.m., followed by a ground attack from the north and northeast of the city.
A source reported that drones flew intensively over the city during the fighting, after the clashes had ceased.
The city of El Fasher has been witnessing intermittent clashes as the Rapid Support Forces seek to control the city, which houses the headquarters of the Sixth Infantry Division, the army’s last stronghold in Darfur. This follows the RSF’s successful capture of military divisions in the cities of Nyala, Zalingei, El Geneina, and El Daein in 2023.
RSF controls large parts of the eastern neighborhoods and some of the southern neighborhoods of El Fasher, while the army controls the western and northern neighborhoods, the city center, and parts of the southern neighborhoods.
The ongoing conflict in El Fasher since May 11, 2024, has led to a severe humanitarian crisis, with most of the city’s residents now relying on ” Ombaz” (the leftover of groundnuts after extracting oil from it.)