KHARTOUM: The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have claimed full control of El-Fasher, a major city in western Sudan, in what appears to be a decisive moment in the country’s ongoing civil war.

In a statement posted on social media, the RSF said it had seized El-Fasher “from the grip of mercenaries and militias allied with the terrorist army.”

The Sudanese army, which has not yet commented, is now believed to have lost its final foothold in the Darfur region, effectively giving the RSF control of the area.

The announcement follows the RSF’s earlier claim that it had captured the 6th Division Headquarters of the Sudanese army, destroying “large military vehicles” and seizing weapons and equipment in the process.

Several videos circulating online show RSF fighters inside the captured army base.

Meanwhile, pro-army local militias known as the Popular Resistance accused the RSF of conducting a “media disinformation campaign” aimed at weakening troop morale.

For the past 18 months, El-Fasher has been under siege, with both army positions and civilians suffering relentless bombardment.

The UN estimates that around 300,000 people have been trapped in the city amid the fighting.

Satellite images from August revealed that extensive earthen barriers had been constructed around El-Fasher, effectively preventing civilians from escaping.

The RSF’s advance on the 6th Infantry Division—the city’s main army command—has been progressing from multiple directions for weeks.

Although some pockets of resistance from the army and allied groups remain inside El-Fasher, observers say their collapse now seems imminent, further consolidating RSF dominance across Darfur.