Sudanese army, allies say they repelled major attack on Darfur city

July 21, 2025 (EL FASHER) – Sudan’s army and allied armed groups said on Monday they repelled a major ground assault by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the besieged city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.

The attack is the latest in a weeks-long RSF offensive to capture the city, the army’s last stronghold in the vast Darfur region. A military source told the Sudan Tribune that fierce fighting raged for hours along the city’s southern axis, particularly around the main livestock market.

Army artillery destroyed at least six RSF military vehicles, including armoured carriers, the source said. Simultaneously, an RSF drone struck at least four locations inside the city, according to eyewitnesses.

Ahmed Hussein Mustafa, a spokesman for the allied “Joint Force,” claimed a major victory, saying hundreds of RSF fighters were killed and dozens of their vehicles were captured or destroyed. “[We] confronted this brutal force with all valour in a fierce battle,” Mustafa said in a statement.

The fighting continues to worsen a dire humanitarian crisis in El Fasher, where hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians are trapped with dwindling supplies of food and medicine.

The violence has persisted despite international appeals, including a recent call by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a humanitarian truce. Aid groups accuse the RSF of tightening its siege on the city and preventing life-saving supplies from entering.