According to a local volunteer aid group, the RSF attacked the city from three directions, using heavy artillery and drones. At least 30 people are believed to have died in al-Fashir during the offensive, which began as the paramilitary group renewed its push to seize full control of Darfur.

Another 25 fatalities have been reported in the Zamzam camp, a sprawling settlement on the outskirts of the city where tens of thousands of displaced people are already living under extreme conditions due to food shortages and ongoing insecurity. Witnesses said RSF vehicles stormed the camp while gunfire rang out across the area, causing widespread panic.

The RSF had previously been forced out of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, by the national army, but its focus has since shifted westward. Al-Fashir is one of the last major urban centres in Darfur not under RSF control, and its capture would mark a significant strategic gain for the group.

Conditions in Zamzam camp have been deteriorating for months, with aid organisations warning of growing hunger and malnutrition. The recent violence is expected to worsen the humanitarian situation, with access to food, water, and medical supplies already severely limited due to the conflict.

Sudan has been engulfed in war since April 2023, when tensions between the army and the RSF exploded into full-blown conflict. International efforts to broker a ceasefire have repeatedly faltered, and the fighting has displaced millions and plunged vast parts of the country into crisis.

BBC Africa editor Will Ross, reporting on the latest developments, noted; “The RSF were recently pushed out of the capital Khartoum by the Sudanese army. But now the paramilitary group is intensifying its efforts to seize al-Fashir, to complete its takeover of the entire Darfur region.”

--ChannelAfrica--