Sudan’s army retreats from El-Fasher after Rapid Support Forces takeover

Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, confirmed on Monday that government forces have withdrawn from El-Fasher following its capture by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.

“We have agreed to withdraw the army from El-Fasher to a safer location,” Burhan said in a nationally televised address, adding that his forces “will take revenge” and continue fighting “until this land is purified.” This marked the first acknowledgment from Burhan of the loss of the strategically important city after the RSF, which Sudanese troops have been battling since April 2023, declared victory on Sunday.

El-Fasher had been under siege by the RSF since May 2024. According to the United Nations’ migration agency, over 26,000 people have fled the city since Sunday, seeking safety in surrounding areas or moving west to Tawila, about 70 kilometers away. The UN also reports that more than one million people have been displaced from the city since the war began, while roughly 260,000 civilians, half of them children, remain trapped without access to aid, with many forced to eat animal fodder.

The fall of El-Fasher gives the RSF control over all five state capitals in Darfur, solidifying its parallel administration in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur. The Sudanese army is now limited to the northern, eastern, and central regions of the country, effectively losing control over roughly one-third of the national territory.

As the conflict enters its third year, the United Nations describes the situation as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis, with the humanitarian toll continuing to escalate.