Sudan’s Al-Fashir on Edge: Fear of Imminent Rapid Support Forces Assault

Al-Fashir, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur, is drawing global attention as it faces a potential crisis. Reports suggest that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), stationed around the city for months, are gathering troops for a possible assault.

This raises concerns about a humanitarian disaster, as Al-Fashir shelters many who are fleeing conflict.

Previously, Al-Fashir had stayed out of the regional conflict, forming a neutral force to protect the displaced. However, some factions joined the Sudanese army, sparking fighting nearby.

There are worries about tribal conflict spreading, especially since neighboring areas share similar tribes.

Global Concerns Rise Over Al-Fashir Crisis

The US has urged an immediate ceasefire in and around Al-Fashir, calling on both the army and the RSF to return to negotiations in Jeddah and end the year-long conflict.

Concerns over an imminent attack on Al-Fashir were voiced by Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the US State Department, who demanded an immediate halt to assaults on the city.

The UN warned that the Rapid Support Forces have surrounded the city, indicating a potential assault. It highlighted the grave consequences an attack would have on civilians in an already famine-threatened area.

The UN's Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, is working to ease tensions in Al-Fashir.

UN chief Antonio Guterres also reiterated his call for parties in Sudan to refrain from fighting in the Al-Fashir area.

Al-Fashir is a key aid center in Darfur, hosting many refugees. While the city itself has been spared from battles, nearby villages have faced clashes and shelling since mid-April.

RSF Talks about ‘Political Vendetta’

Imran Abdullah Hassan, an advisor to the RSF commander, rejected accusations on Thursday that his forces had burned villages in Al-Fashir, calling them politically driven.

He stated that his forces are ready to face justice if any wrongdoing against civilians is proven.

“These claims come from remnants of the former regime and political groups aiming to stir conflict,” said Hassan, adding that they failed to incite civil war and are now spreading false accusations of crimes against civilians in northern Darfur.

Amin al-Majzoub, a military expert, warns that the fighting in Sudan could worsen tensions in Al-Fashir and neighboring regions. He also fears this could prolong Sudan’s crisis, potentially allowing terrorist groups to enter the country.

According to al-Majzoub, the ongoing conflict in Sudan threatens the stability of neighboring countries.

“The military’s plan suggests they won’t abandon areas controlled by the RSF, which could lead allied armed groups to engage in wider conflict, whether in Khartoum, Al-Jazeera, or Darfur,” explained al-Majzoub.

“This could even jeopardize the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement if armed groups fragment and collapse,” he added.

Fierce Battle Looms

Sadiq Ali Hassan, head of the Darfur Lawyers Association, warns that if the war reaches Al-Fashir, it will be the most severe yet, with devastating consequences for all of Sudan.

He urged joint forces, including the army and armed groups, to work together to protect Darfur and Sudan.

However, Hassan noted that these forces have failed in their duties since the October 2021 coup, becoming divided along tribal and regional lines.

Hassan explained that the movements that signed the Juba Peace Agreement are watching the war cautiously to protect their own interests, ignoring the people of Darfur.

Despite declaring neutrality, some groups have joined either the army or the RSF, driven more by their own interests than by concern for Darfur.

Hassan also notes the existence of other armed local groups ready to defend against potential threats, along with the Sudan Liberation Army Movement led by Abdul Wahid al-Nur, which didn’t sign the peace agreement and stays neutral.

These groups are concentrated in and around Al-Fashir, and if war erupts there, it’ll be the most intense conflict among all ongoing battles in Sudan’s other cities and states.

The Red Cross raised alarm on Thursday at the growing use of drone attacks by warring parties on hospitals, electricity and water infrastructure in Sudan, which it said was contributing to widespread human rights violations.

Some 70-80% of hospitals in Sudan were not running and there were concerns cholera could surge due to damage caused by the war to water infrastructure, the International Committee of the Red Cross told reporters in Geneva.

"A recent drone attack stopped all the electricity provision in an area close to Khartoum, which means critical infrastructure is being damaged," said Patrick Youssef, the Red Cross's Regional Director for Africa, in a new report.

"There is a clear increased use of these technologies, drones - to be in the hands of everyone - which increases the impact on the local population and the intensity of attacks," Youssef said.

After two years of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, some people are returning to Khartoum after they were forced to flee when war broke out on April 15, 2023 amidst a ongoing power struggle between the army and the RSF ahead of a transition to civilian rule.

Some 12 million people have been displaced by the conflict since 2023.

"We have seen violations of the law left, right and center,” Youssef said, urging the warring parties to allow the Red Cross access so it can offer humanitarian support and document atrocities.

In March, aid groups told Reuters that the RSF had placed new constraints on aid deliveries to territories where it was seeking to cement its control. Aid groups have also accused the army of denying or hindering access to RSF-controlled areas.

Both sides in the conflict deny impeding aid.

Sudan’s Al-Fashir on Edge: Fear of Imminent Rapid Support Forces Assault