Intensified fighting in El-Fasher
The RSF, led by General Mohamad Hamdane Daglo, known as Hemedti, have launched a major offensive to take El-Fasher. They have been encircling this part since last May. As a matter of fact, this strategic town represents the last stronghold of the Sudanese army in Darfur. Five other states in the region already under the control of the RSF. In response, the Sudanese army, commanded by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, parachuted troops over the besieged town for the first time. This unprecedented manoeuvre underlines the crucial importance of El-Fasher for the government forces.
Strategic and humanitarian issues
The capture of El-Fasher by the FSR would make General Hemedti ‘absolutely indispensable for any negotiations on the political future of the country’, declared Laurent Maréchal, a specialist on Sudan. According to him, the army fears that a defeat at El-Fasher could lead to the separation of Darfur from the rest of the country. The fighting has caused a serious humanitarian crisis. More than 800,000 of El-Fasher’s 1.5 million inhabitants have been forced to flee the town. Hospitals are being targeted, and the town is suffering from a shortage of medicines.
A conflict with deep roots
This war, described as the ‘war of the generals’, is part of a long history of internal conflict in Sudan. Since independence in 1956, the country has experienced many periods of instability. During 30 years, they were under the dictatorship of Omar al-Bashir. The current conflict broke out in April 2023. It pits two military factions against each other, who had previously joined forces to overthrow al-Bashir in 2019. Moreover, the stakes go beyond the simple struggle for power. They involve the management of the country’s natural resources, in particular oil and gold.
As Sudan spirals into violence, the international community and regional players must redouble their efforts to put an end to this conflict. Indeed, it threatens the stability of the entire region.
For more information on the subject, read: Sudan, the forsaken war
