El Fasher, September 16 (Darfur24)
Eyewitnesses and local sources in El Fasher, North Darfur, reported that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) advanced on Monday and Tuesday into Abu Shouk camp for internally displaced persons, the city’s army barracks, and the main market, before moving toward the headquarters of the Sixth Infantry Division.
On Tuesday morning, fierce battles broke out in several parts of the city between the Sudanese army and allied forces on one side, and the RSF on the other, according to a Darfur24 correspondent.
Videos posted by RSF soldiers and verified by Darfur24 appeared to show their forces reaching the army barracks facing the Sixth Division from the south.
An eyewitness, who requested anonymity, said RSF units had fully penetrated Abu Shouk camp, north of the city, and established permanent positions there, forcing displaced residents to flee toward El Fasher’s northwestern neighborhoods and the town of Tawila under dire humanitarian conditions. He added that RSF artillery had been deployed throughout the camp and that fighters had also advanced into Naivasha market.
Meanwhile, the Joint Force of Armed Movements claimed in a brief statement that it had repelled an RSF attack and inflicted heavy losses. Verified footage showed Aboud Adam Khater, operations officer of the Joint Force, engaged in fighting on Tuesday morning, while a separate clip on Monday showed RSF deputy commander Abdel Rahim Hamdan Dagalo inside El Fasher, personally leading the battles.
The Joint Force also circulated video footage claiming to have captured several RSF combat vehicles during the clashes.
The RSF has maintained a siege on El Fasher since April 2024 in an attempt to capture the city, the Sudanese army’s last major stronghold in Darfur, after seizing Nyala, Zalingei, Geneina, and El Daein in 2023.