RSF captures army base in North Darfur capital
Sudan army suffers losses in North Darfur and North Kordofan
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have suffered two significant defeats over the past two days, losing control of the town of Bara in North Kordofan State, and the 6th Infantry Division headquarters in El-Fasher, its last major stronghold in the Darfur region.
Videos geolocated and reviewed by Sudan War Monitor confirm RSF fighters inside the 6th Division headquarters amid heavy celebratory gunfire. Multiple local sources and footage indicate that the RSF launched a coordinated attack from the south, north, and east, eventually forcing army troops and allied factions to retreat to the city’s western neighborhoods.
The fall of the 6th Division headquarters marks a key milestone in the 18-month siege of El Fasher, during which the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have launched almost daily assaults on the city. However, it does not end the battle; SAF and the allied Joint Force still control western and northwestern parts of the city, including the former UNAMID Super Camp, the airport, the university, the maternity hospital, and a handful of residential neighborhoods.
More than 60% of the El Fasher population has fled, according to estimates by the International Organization for Migration. Hunger, shelling, and the threat of targeted or accidental killings (due to crossfire) have driven the exodus. The latest fighting displaced even more civilians; video footage reviewed by Sudan War Monitor showed civilians fleeing through the western side of El-Fasher as fighting continued in the final SAF-controlled enclave.
Below: RSF-produced propaganda film celebrating the fall of the 6th Division headquarters in El Fasher, North Darfur:
The fall of the 6th Division follows months of mounting strain on the Sudanese army defenders in El-Fasher. The military’s capacity to protect the city has steadily deteriorated under siege, with supply routes long cut off and reinforcements unable to reach the garrison.
The army has relied entirely on aerial resupply missions to sustain its forces, air-dropping ammunition, rations, and fuel into the city. However, the army’s territorial losses made aerial resupply increasingly difficult. Earlier this month, for the first time since April, the army conducted an airdrop operation over El-Fasher, but part of the cargo fell into RSF-controlled areas.
El Fasher’s defenders included regular army troops, fighters from the Joint Forces of the Armed Struggle Movements (a coalition of former Darfur rebels who have fought alongside the Sudanese military since April 2024), and ‘Popular Resistance’ groups recruited from the local populace.
After two and a half years of war, the 6th Division had run short of manpower, ammunition, and morale. It remains to be seen if SAF and its allies can sustain control of any part of El Fasher, now that the symbolically important 6th Division headquarters, located at the heart of the city, has fallen. For comparison, during previous RSF attacks on Nyala, Jebel Aulia, and other cities, army defenses quickly crumpled after the RSF seized key bases. On the other hand, SAF mounted an effective street-by-street defense in western Khartoum’s Shajara region, even after the fall of the Armored Corps base.
In this video filmed by RSF fighters, thousands fleeing El-Fasher are seen escorted by SRF soldiers in vehicles in the west of the city, likely towards Tawila with the speaker saying the line has no end.
RSF view El Fasher as battle for legitimacy
Militarily, the RSF have prioritized the battle of El Fasher even at the cost of diverting troops from eastern theaters of combat. The city is the former seat of the Darfur Sultanate, and could serve as the symbolic capital of RSF-controlled western Sudan, in a scenario of prolonged national partition. If the RSF do fully capture El Fasher, they will control all five Darfur state capitals.
In a statement, the RSF described its capture of the 6th Division headquarters as a “historic victory” over what it called “the Army of the Islamic Movement and its mercenary affiliates.” The statement read in part:
“Thanks to the steadfastness of our heroes and the alignment of the marginalized peoples of Darfur and other regions with the project of change, charted by our forces through the blood of martyrs and immense sacrifices, a great victory has been achieved: the complete liberation of the 6th Division in El-Fasher from the grip of mercenaries and militias allied with the terrorist regime. This came after fierce battles that exhausted the enemy, shattered its defenses, and brought it to total collapse.”
The RSF leads a political and military coalition known as the Sudan Founding Alliance (Taasīs), which runs a parallel government in Nyala, South Darfur. Commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, known as Hemedti, heads the alliance’s presidential council.
In this video, RSF soldiers make fun of the displaced, whom they describes as Sudanese army soldiers.
The capture of El-Fasher comes days after Hemedti threatened to target regional aviation infrastructure — a warning that analysts interpreted as a sign of expanding military intent beyond Darfur.
In their statement, the RSF called the fall of the 6th Division a “decisive turning point” and pledged coordination with the parallel government in Nyala to “protect civilians” and “facilitate the return of displaced people.”
“The liberation of the 6th Division in El-Fasher today marks a decisive turning point in the course of the battles waged by our gallant forces and outlines the features of the new state that all Sudanese will take part in building—one that aligns with their legitimate aspirations to end eras of tyranny, oppression, and favoritism, and to uphold the values of freedom, peace, and justice.”
“Today’s victory is an act of retribution dedicated to the souls of the martyrs, the victims, and all free Sudanese. We affirm that the march of liberation will continue relentlessly, and our forces will not stop until every inch of the homeland’s soil is cleansed of the instruments of oppression, tyranny, and the pawns of the terrorist Islamic Movement, paving the way for the establishment of a New Sudan founded on the principles of freedom, justice, and equality.”
“Our forces affirm that they will work in coordination with the (Taasis) Government to provide full protection for civilians, facilitate the return of displaced persons to their homes, and ensure the provision of their essential needs.”
The Sudanese army has not issued a statement. However, a pro-army militia known as the Popular Resistance in North Darfur posted on Facebook warning against “a deceptive media campaign” suggesting the entire city had fallen, insisting that resistance continues in western neighborhoods.
Recent investigations by Sudan War Monitor and other media outlets indicate the presence of Colombian mercenaries among RSF units in El-Fasher, signaling the group’s reliance on foreign fighters in key offensives.
The RSF have suffered significant losses in their repeated assaults on El Fasher, including several top commanders and thousands of fighters. Among the most prominent losses was Ali Yacoub, the RSF’s Central Darfur commander, who was killed during a June 2024 attack on the city.
The fighting also claimed the lives of Abdelrahman “Grin Shatta”, and several mid-level field commanders who had led RSF assaults along the northern and eastern approaches to El-Fasher.
El Fasher’s defenders have relied on artillery, air power, urban ambushes, and local support among the populace to inflict heavy casualties on the RSF. Despite this, the RSF continued to regroup and adapt its tactics — relying more on drone warfare, mercenary reinforcements, and multi-front coordination — culminating in the eventual fall of the 6th Division today.