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Siege of El Fasher

Siege of El Fasher
Part of the Darfur campaign of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present)
Date1st phase: 13–20 April 2023 (7 days)
2nd phase: 12–29 May 2023 (17 days, ceasefire)
3rd phase: 18 August 2023 – 13 April 2024 (7 months, 3 weeks, 5 days)
4th phase (offensive): 13 April 2024 – 26 October 2025 (1 year, 6 months, 2 weeks)
Location
El Fasher, North Darfur, Sudan
Result
Territorial
changes		 El Fasher and surrounding villages fall under total RSF control
Belligerents

Sudan Liberation Movement – El Foka
Sudan Justice and Equality Forces

Commanders and leaders
Asia Al-Khalifa
Nimir Mohammed Abdelrahman[3] (until December 2023)
Minni Minawi[4]
Babikir Musa †[5]
Abbas Minnawi †[6]
Gibril Ibrahim
El Sadig El Foka
Abdul Wahid al-Nur		 Ali Yaqoub Gibril †[7]
Nimir Mohammed Abdelrahman[3] (after December 2023)
Abdul Rahman Qarn Shata †
Abu Al Qasim-Ali Musa †[8]
Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed[9]
Ibrahim Delib †
Hamida Abbas †[10]
Casualties and losses
RSF claim
1 Antonov An-26 destroyed[11]

SAF claim[12]
95+ killed[13]
Dozens wounded
80 vehicles destroyed[11]
10 vehicles captured
126 drones destroyed[14][15]

JDF claim[16]
15,470 killed (including mercenaries from Colombia, Libya, Chad)
Several commanders killed
25 vehicles destroyed
30 vehicles captured

782+ civilians killed, 1,143+ injured (May 2024)
60,000+ displaced[17][18][19] 14,000+ civilians killed (October 2025)[20]

2,000+ civilians executed following the battle[21]

The Siege of El Fasher was a long military attack on the Sudanese city of El Fasher, located in North Darfur, Sudan. It was carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as part of the wider Sudanese civil war (2023–present).

El Fasher was the last major city in the Darfur region held by the Sudanese Army and its allies. After an 18-month siege, the city fell to the RSF in October 2025. Following the capture, a terrible event known as the El Fasher massacre occurred, where RSF fighters attacked and killed many civilians.

Background

War in Darfur

The conflict in Darfur began in 2003 when rebel groups (like the Justice and Equality Movement, JEM) attacked government bases, arguing that the government of then-dictator Omar al-Bashir was not fair to the region. The government fought back using the Janjaweed militia, which later became the core of the RSF. This war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced many more to leave their homes.

Political tensions

The Janjaweed fighters joined the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Hemedti, in 2013.[22]

The Sudanese Army (SAF) and the RSF, initially partners in a 2021 military takeover, became enemies in early 2023. The main reason for the conflict was a disagreement over how the powerful RSF would be merged into the regular army, which would take away the RSF's power.

Fighting broke out across Sudan, including El Fasher, on April 15, 2023.

Timeline

The fighting for El Fasher happened in several stages:

  • First Battle (April 13–20, 2023): The first clashes happened right after the civil war started. It ended with a short ceasefire.
  • Second Battle (May 12–29, 2023): Fighting started again but led to a longer ceasefire.
  • Siege Phase (August 2023 – April 2024): The city became a safe place for thousands of refugees from other parts of Darfur, but soon faced serious shortages of food and water.
  • Main Offensive (April 2024 – October 2025): The RSF began a major attack to take control of the city.

Major events and attacks

Throughout the siege, the city and the refugee camps around it suffered many attacks:

  • Attacks on refugee camps (Late 2024 - April 2025): The RSF launched attacks on Abu Shouk and Zamzam Refugee Camps, killing hundreds of civilians.[23][24]
  • Indiscriminate bombings (Summer/Fall 2025): Civilian areas in the city were bombed many times.
  • Wall building (August 2025): The RSF started building a wall to completely surround the city and trap the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) inside.[25]
  • Mosque attack (September 19, 2025): The RSF bombed the Al Jamia Mosque during Friday prayers, killing more than 70 civilians.[26]

Fall of the city and aftermath

On October 26, 2025, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized full control of El Fasher after the Sudanese Armed Forces' (SAF) 6th Infantry Division retreated.[27]

Immediately after the city fell, the RSF carried out the El Fasher massacre. Reports suggest that:

  • Over 14,000 civilians were killed in El Fasher during the one and a half years of the siege due to bombings, starvation, and executions (as of October 2025).[28]
  • Over 2,000 civilians are reported to have been executed by RSF militants immediately after the battle ended.[29]

Following the RSF takeover, several thousand civilians fled to the town of Tawila.[27]

Battle of El Fasher (early 2023)

First Battle (April 15–20)

The initial clashes in El Fasher began on April 15, 2023.

The RSF claimed to have captured the El Fasher airport and several other military locations. The fighting quickly led to a humanitarian crisis:

Hospitals were overwhelmed, and the city's main market was destroyed.[30]

The Abu Shouk refugee camp was attacked and burned down.[31]

By April 21, over 44 people were killed and 279 wounded, according to the aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).[32]

Ceasefire (April 20 – May 12)

A ceasefire was agreed upon on April 20.

SAF held the west of the city, RSF held the east, and the center was made a neutral zone patrolled by police.

The truce was made indefinite on April 23, and life briefly returned to normal, but prices for goods went up sharply.

References

  1. ↑ "IOM: 190 families displaced by North Darfur clashes". Radio Dabanga. 11 September 2023. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  2. ↑ Zane, Damian; Kupemba, Danai Nesta (26 October 2025). "Rebel group claims capture of key city in Sudan". BBC News. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "West Darfur clashes leave 25 dead, prisoners freed in Nyala, El Fasher, and Ed Daein". Radio Dabanga. 26 April 2023. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  4. ↑ Serwat, Ladd; Kazemi, Elham (28 April 2023). "Fact Sheet: Conflict Surges in Sudan". ACLED. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  5. ↑ Sudantribune (6 November 2023). "Minawi's field commander slain in suspected RSF ambush in North Darfur". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "Minawi's brother killed in El Fasher's battles". Darfur24 News Website. 28 June 2024.
  7. ↑ "Top RSF commander Ali Yagoub killed in El Fasher". Sudan War Monitor. 14 June 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  8. ↑ "Sudanese army repels major attack on El Fasher, inflicting heavy RSF losses". Sudan Tribune. 13 September 2024.
  9. ↑ "Sanctioning Sudanese Rapid Support Forces Commanders". United States Department of State.
  10. ↑ Sudantribune (2 January 2025). "Sudan army repels RSF attack in El Fasher, hospital hit by shelling". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Sudantribune (3 April 2025). "RSF says it downed Sudanese military plane near El Fasher". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  12. ↑ "RSF suffers losses in El Fasher offensive". Sudan War Monitor. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  13. ↑ "Sudan army within 500m of Republican Palace, battles in North Darfur and North Kordofan". Radio Dabanga. 20 March 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  14. ↑ Sudantribune (30 November 2024). "SAF shoots down 20 RSF drones over El-Fasher". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  15. ↑ Sudantribune (31 December 2024). "Sudanese army says it destroyed Emirati Plane in Darfur". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  16. ↑ "El Fasher faces imminent attack as RSF deadline expires Wednesday". Sudan Tribune. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  17. ↑ "More fighting and severe water crisis in North Darfur". 23 May 2024. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  18. ↑ Ahmed, Kaamil (24 May 2024). "Tens of thousands flee camp in Sudan after attacks by RSF paramilitaries". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  19. ↑ "More than 700 killed in siege of Sudan's el-Fasher, UN says". Al Jazeera. 20 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  20. ↑ "#عاجل | شبكة أطباء السودان: أكثر من 14 ألف مدني قتلوا في الفاشر خلال عام ونصف بالقصف والتجويع والتصفيات". 29 October 2025.
  21. ↑ "Sudan paramilitary group accused of killing 2,000 civilians in El-Fasher".
  22. ↑ "Sudan unrest: What are the Rapid Support Forces?". Al Jazeera. 16 April 2023. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  23. ↑ "Sudan's Rapid Support Forces kill 40 people in North Darfur displacement camp attack". CTVNews. The Associated Press. 11 August 2025. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  24. ↑ "Attacks on Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps and Al Fasher must end now – Statement by the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami". ReliefWeb. 12 April 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  25. ↑ Raymond, Nathaniel (8 October 2025). "Systematic Arson Attacks Mark Next Phase of Mass Atrocities in El-Fasher". Yale Humanitarian Research Lab. Archived from the original on 21 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  26. ↑ Everett, Mariamne. "More than 70 civilians killed in attack on mosque in Darfur's el-Fasher". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Raymond, Nathaniel (27 October 2025). "Human Security Emergency: El Fasher falls to RSF: Evidence of Mass Killing". Yale Humanitarian Research Lab. Archived from the original on 28 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  28. ↑ "#عاجل | شبكة أطباء السودان: أكثر من 14 ألف مدني قتلوا في الفاشر خلال عام ونصف بالقصف والتجويع والتصفيات". 29 October 2025.
  29. ↑ "Sudan paramilitary group accused of killing 2,000 civilians in El-Fasher".
  30. ↑ Bergman, Andrew (17 April 2023). "Deadly Sudan Army-RSF clashes spark human tragedy, widespread looting in Darfur". Radio Dabanga. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  31. ↑ Koettl, Christoph (21 April 2023). "Large Food Market Burned in Darfur Camp, Satellite Images Show". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  32. ↑ "'Overwhelmed': harrowing hospital account of Sudan conflict". Al-Monitor. AFP. 21 April 2023. Archived from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2025.

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