North Darfur governor rejects evacuation call amid fresh El Fasher clashes
July 31, 2025 (EL FASHER) – The governor of Sudan’s North Darfur on Thursday rejected calls for residents to evacuate the besieged state capital El Fasher, accusing opponents of a plot to forcibly recruit youths, as fresh fighting and deadly shelling were reported in the city.
The dispute began after Hadi Idris, who was appointed governor of the Darfur region by the RSF-allied “Tasis” coalition, urged residents of El Fasher on Wednesday to leave due to deteriorating living and security conditions.
Idris called on aid groups to deliver relief to gathering points for the displaced in areas outside El Fasher like Korma and Tawila, stating it was impossible to get aid into the city itself.
North Darfur Governor Al-Hafiz Bakhit, who is aligned with the Sudanese army, dismissed the evacuation calls as “cheap propaganda to recruit young men.”
Bakhit claimed the areas designated for evacuees, which are controlled by forces allied with Idris and another rebel leader, Abdel Wahid al-Nur, were “unsafe.”
The political clash erupted as renewed fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and its allied armed movements, targeting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Local sources told Sudan Tribune that the RSF launched a broad offensive early Thursday morning on army positions, firing artillery shells on the northern part of the city in an attempt to advance towards the Abu Shouk camp for displaced people.
Several displaced people in the camp were killed and wounded after RSF artillery shells struck the camp’s Nevasha market, the sources said. The camp, which houses a large number of displaced people, has been repeatedly targeted by RSF shelling and drones, forcing most of its inhabitants to flee.
In his statement, Bakhit accused the RSF and its allies of failing to take El Fasher by force and now resorting to a strategy of starvation, which he claimed was also failing. He reported a slight improvement in the living situation over the past two days, with some goods, including grains, now appearing in the markets.
“Arrangements by the central government to end the siege are proceeding well,” Bakhit added. “Within two days, you will hear good news, and there will be a breakthrough.”
The RSF has blocked aid and medicine from reaching the historic capital of Darfur since April 2024 after seizing the main supply routes.