Sudan army repulses new RSF assault on El Fasher
Sudanese refugees attacked in Uganda
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a renewed offensive on El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, on Wednesday afternoon, escalating a siege that has tightened since late 2023. The operation marked the latest phase in the RSF’s push toward key military and urban targets, including the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division.
At approximately 3:00 PM local time, RSF units attacked from the southwestern axis, advancing into the Al-Sahafa neighborhood. In one video reviewed and geolocated by Sudan War Monitor, RSF fighters claimed to have reached El Fasher’s Livestock Market to the south of the city.
However, geolocation of the footage placed them at a farm compound located at Hai Al-Sahafa, at coordinates (13°35'21.54"N, 25°19'45.75"E) — 3 kilometers to the south of the actual market area, suggesting the RSF soldiers may have intentionally exaggerated or misrepresented their battlefield position.
In a video published by Darfur24, RSF fighters appear on a farm situated east of Al-Sahafa neighborhood. However, they falsely claimed the location was the Nyala Livestock Market. Sudan War Monitor geolocated the footage to coordinates 13°35'21.54"N, 25°19'45.75"E.
Another footage shows RSF combatants inside the Hai Al-Sahafa Mosque, located approximately 5 kilometers south of the 6th Infantry Division headquarters in central El Fasher and 3 kilometers east of the airport.
This second geolocated video confirms Sudan War Monitor’s earlier finding that the first video was filmed at a farm compound in Hai Al-Sahafa rather than the Livestock Market, reinforcing that RSF units were operating on the city’s southwestern outer edge – not deeper inside El Fasher as they claimed.
In this video, RSF fighters are seen inside a mosque in the Al-Sahafa neighborhood. Although pro-RSF accounts claim the footage shows Khatim Al-Anbiya Mosque, we geolocated it to a mosque in the southeastern part of Al-Sahafa. 13°35'14.76"N 25°19'50.57"E
The RSF’s presence in Hai Al-Sahafa also suggests they may have passed through or temporarily captured the nearby El Fasher (Kober) Prison, located about 2.2 kilometers west of the neighborhood here (13°35'27.39"N 25°18'34.62"E).
Sudanese army reconnaissance units had reached the prison last week, marking it as a forward position in SAF’s southern front. The latest advance by the RSF, who controls Zamzam IDP Camp, indicates that SAF may have once again been pushed back from the prison and areas south of the airport.
The Sudanese military, supported by the Joint Forces of the Armed Struggle Movements (JFASM) and local Popular Resistance Committees, launched a coordinated counteroffensive involving ground forces and sustained artillery fire. Although SAF repelled the RSF advance, indirect shelling by RSF units reportedly continued until at least 5:00 PM.
In an official statement, SAF claimed it inflicted significant losses on RSF personnel and destroyed several vehicles. The JFASM described the engagement as the 222nd RSF assault on El Fasher since the beginning of the war.
“The Sudanese Armed Forces, backed by supporting units and voluntarily mobilized members of the Popular Resistance, successfully repelled an attack by the Rapid Support Militia (Janjaweed), inflicting significant losses in both personnel and equipment,” the statement read.
In a follow-up statement issued Thursday, SAF announced that RSF operational commander in El Fasher, Adam Issa Al-Junaidi, had been neutralized, along with several of his escorts, during the fighting.
El Fasher remains one of the final strongholds under SAF control in Darfur. The city hosts the 6th Infantry Division headquarters and serves as a fallback base for SAF units from rural North Darfur and remnants of divisions overrun by RSF offensives elsewhere since mid-2023.
Sudanese refugee killed, dozens injured in targeted attacks in Uganda
A Sudanese refugee was killed and at least 34 others wounded in a series of targeted attacks on Sudanese nationals at the Kiryandongo refugee settlement in northern Uganda, according to multiple eyewitnesses and community leaders. The incidents took place on Thursday, July 10, and again on Saturday, July 12, in the eastern cluster of the camp.
Eyewitnesses told Sudan War Monitor that the assaults were carried out by suspected South Sudanese gangs, using machetes and other sharp weapons. The attackers reportedly struck in the evening hours, between 6:00 PM and 1:00 AM, catching residents off guard.
“On Thursday, a large group of South Sudanese gang members attacked Sudanese refugees and injured 27 people. No one died during that assault, but four of the wounded were in critical condition and had to be transferred to the hospital in Gulu. On Saturday, they came back and killed a man named Kabashi. These attacks usually happen between 6:00 PM and 1:00 AM. Even when we manage to catch the attackers and hand them over, the Ugandan police release them. It’s becoming extremely dangerous for Sudanese refugees here,” said one eyewitness.
The deceased, identified only as Kabashi, succumbed to injuries following the second attack. Local authorities and the Ugandan police reportedly failed to contain the violence. No arrests have been made.
Several critically wounded refugees were transferred to Gulu and Kiryandongo hospitals, while others received treatment at Panyadoli Hospital in Bweyale. However, a lack of ambulances and shortages of medical staff and supplies severely delayed emergency care, according to sources within the refugee community. The UNHCR hasn’t commented on the incident.
In a statement issued following the attacks, the Sudanese refugee leadership in Kiryandongo dismissed robbery as a motive and accused the assailants of carrying out deliberate, targeted violence against Sudanese nationals. The statement condemned the silence of UNHCR, accusing the agency of failing to respond to repeated incidents of violence and deteriorating conditions in the camp.
The leadership also appealed to Sudanese refugees in other settlements – including Gulu, Bidi Bidi, and Kiryandongo town – to show solidarity with the victims and demanded urgent intervention from the Ugandan government and humanitarian actors to restore security and accountability.
The attacks come just two months after a May 2025 report by the Sudanese Doctors Network, which warned of worsening humanitarian conditions for over 50,000 Sudanese refugees at Kiryandongo. The group cited widespread malnutrition, lack of basic healthcare, and the suspension of aid by UNHCR and the World Food Programme (WFP) due to funding shortages.
Uganda currently hosts over 100,000 Sudanese refugees, many of whom fled after war erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023. The total refugee population in Uganda now exceeds 1.9 million, making it one of the largest refugee-hosting countries in the world.
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