Fighting in El Fasher moves inside a joint force base

September 18, 2025 (EL FASHER) – Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Fasher escalated on Thursday, with RSF fighters briefly entering a key military base before being repelled by army drone strikes, a military source said.

The RSF had earlier claimed in video statements that it had seized the former headquarters of the joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission (UNAMID), as it pushes to capture the last army stronghold in the Darfur region. The compound, located in the city’s northwest, serves as a command and control centre for armed movements allied with the army.

Local sources said the assault on the base began after fierce clashes in the adjacent Abu Shouk camp for displaced people, which forced the army and its allies to retreat initially.

However, the military source confirmed that the army successfully repelled the attack, forcing the RSF to withdraw from the headquarters and large parts of Abu Shouk following intense drone strikes on their positions.

The temporary seizure of the joint force headquarters marks a significant development in the battle for Darfur’s historical capital. The base had been under sustained RSF artillery and drone attacks for months, destroying large sections of it, according to residents.

The latest fighting follows weeks of rapid RSF gains inside El Fasher, where they have taken control of several neighbourhoods and tightened pressure on the army’s main garrison, the 6th Infantry Division headquarters.