Sudan's RSF Claims Capture El Fasher Amid Humanitarian Crisis

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claim to have captured El Fasher, the last major city in Sudan's Darfur region held by the army, after an 18-month siege marked by severe fighting, hunger, and disease. This development raises grave concerns for the estimated 260,000 to 300,000 civilians trapped in the city who face lack of access to food, healthcare, and safe passage amid ongoing combat and communications blackouts. The UN's humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, has called for an immediate ceasefire, safe corridors for civilians, and unhindered humanitarian aid access, highlighting the worsening humanitarian crisis. Despite RSF assurances of civilian protection and safe passage, local resistance groups and the Darfur governor, allied with the army, accuse the RSF of atrocities and demand independent investigations. The conflict stems from a power struggle between the Sudanese military and RSF since April 2023, displacing over 13 million people nationwide and leaving half the population in need of food aid. Continued fighting in Darfur threatens further violence, including possible ethnic expulsions and severe human rights violations, as Sudan faces one of the world's largest humanitarian crises.