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.

Medical aid agency MSF said on Friday it has been forced to suspend its activities at one of the few remaining hospitals in southern Khartoum due to repeated attacks, cutting off yet another lifeline for those who remain in the Sudanese capital.
War has been raging in Sudan since April 2023, sparked by a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule, triggering the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.
The hospital, which lies in territory controlled by the RSF, helped treat the victims of frequent airstrikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces, as well as hundreds of malnourished women and children in an area where two neighborhoods have been judged at risk of famine, reported Reuters.
"In the 20 months MSF teams have worked alongside hospital staff and volunteers, Bashair Hospital has experienced repeated incidents of armed fighters entering the hospital with weapons and threatening medical staff, often demanding fighters be treated before other patients," MSF said in a statement.
"Despite extensive engagements with all stakeholders, these attacks have continued in recent months. MSF has now taken the very difficult decision to suspend all medical activities in the hospital."
The fighting in Sudan has cut off up to 80% of hospitals in conflict areas, where millions who cannot afford to escape the violence remain. Civilians face frequent air and artillery fire and hunger as supplies are blocked by both warring parties and prices skyrocket.
Medical facilities, including MSF-supported ones that have suspended operations, have frequently come under attack by RSF soldiers demanding treatment or looting supplies. Bashair Hospital has served more than 25,000 people, MSF said, including 9,000 hurt by blasts, gunshot wounds, and other violence.
"Sometimes dozens of people arrived at the hospital at the same time after shelling or airstrikes on residential areas and markets," MSF said in the statement, citing an incident on Sunday where an airstrike one kilometer away drove 50 people to the emergency room, 12 of them already dead.

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