Siege of El Fasher

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.

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.
* 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.
* Mosque attack (September 19, 2025): The RSF bombed the Al Jamia Mosque during Friday prayers, killing more than 70 civilians.

## 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.

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).
* Over 2,000 civilians are reported to have been executed by RSF militants immediately after the battle ended.

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

The Abu Shouk refugee camp was attacked and burned down.

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

### 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