Sudan's paramilitary forces announces full control of El Fasher city

KHARTOUM, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Sunday announced that they have taken full control of the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State in western Sudan.

"Today's victory represents a pivotal moment, given the symbolic, strategic, and military significance of El Fasher," the paramilitary group said in a statement released on the social media platform Telegram.

The Sudanese army has not issued any official comment on the developments, while reports from the ground indicate conflicting accounts of the situation in the city, which has been under siege since May 2024.

The El Fasher Resistance Committees, a local voluntary group, said in a separate statement that "battles in El Fasher are still ongoing, and the fighters remain steadfast."

Earlier in the day, the RSF claimed to have captured the headquarters of the Sudanese army's Sixth Infantry Division -- the army's last stronghold in the Darfur region -- and posted videos on X showing fighters celebrating in front of the compound's gate.

El Fasher was the last major administrative center in Sudan's Darfur region still under the control of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). It has been under an intensive siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for several months, resulting in heavy casualties and a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Sudan remains gripped by a devastating conflict between the SAF and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023. The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions, plunging the country deeper into a humanitarian crisis. ■