Sudanese militia claims capture of army headquarters

The Sixth Infantry Division command in besieged Al-Fashir is reportedly the national military’s last stronghold in Darfur

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) says it has captured the army’s headquarters in the war-torn city of Al-Fashir. The North Darfur capital has been under blockade by the militia for more than a year, with the UN reporting widespread attacks on civilians, including the killing and maiming of more than 1,000 children.

An RSF spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday that the group had taken complete control of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Sixth Infantry Division command after “heroic battles marked by precise operations and strategic sieges.”

“The liberation… represents a pivotal milestone in the battles waged by our valiant forces. It outlines the contours of a new state that all Sudanese will participate in building,” the RSF official stated.

The Sixth Infantry Division headquarters is said to be the army’s last stronghold in Darfur, where fighting between the SAF and the RSF has raged for more than two years.

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The RSF has been accused of targeting civilians in repeated drone and artillery strikes since it placed Al-Fashir under siege in April 2024. An estimated 260,000 civilians, including 130,000 children, remain trapped in desperate conditions and cut off from aid inside the city, according to UN figures.

At least 20 people were killed earlier this month in strikes on a mosque and on the Saudi Hospital, the city’s last functioning medical facility after around 100 civilians were killed in September, according to rights groups.

On Sunday, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said he is “deeply alarmed” by the situation in Al-Fashir and called for an immediate ceasefire across Sudan.

He stated that fighters continue pushing further into the city, cutting off escape routes and leaving trapped civilians starving and terrified.

The war between the army and the RSF, which erupted in Khartoum in April 2023, has created what the UN calls one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

The army has not yet commented on the reported loss of its Al-Fashir headquarters, but its commander, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, held talks with Turkish Ambassador Fatih Yildiz on issues including efforts to lift the siege of the region’s capital, according to an official statement.