RSF claims advances in El Fasher, captures governor’s residence

October 24, 2025 (EL FASHER) – The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said on Friday its fighters have moved closer to the army’s 6th Infantry Division headquarters in El Fasher after seizing the residence of the North Darfur state governor.

A source within the 6th Infantry Division command told Sudan Tribune that a cautious calm prevailed in the city on Friday morning following what the source described as a major attack on Thursday.

The RSF published video clips on its Telegram channel showing its forces taking control of the official guesthouse in El Fasher, which serves as the governor’s residence.

In the videos, fighters claimed the RSF was now near the 6th Infantry Division’s command centre and vowed to capture it within hours.

Fierce battles took place in El Fasher on Thursday between the army and allied joint forces on one side, and the RSF on the other.

In a statement on Friday, the Sudanese army said the 6th Infantry Division, along with the joint force and supporting troops, had “crushed and repelled a new attack from several axes” launched by the RSF on Thursday.

The army’s statement claimed the attack involved infantry, combat vehicles, and armoured vehicles, supported by a large number of mercenaries from Colombia, Chad, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic.

It added that the assault was conducted under the cover of artillery and drone fire targeting civilians, and that the army and its allies inflicted “heavy losses in lives and equipment on the enemy.”

“Our forces managed to destroy a large number of combat vehicles, disable and seize others, and dozens of attackers were killed, while the rest fled outside the city,” the statement continued.

El Fasher, the largest city in the Darfur region, has been under a suffocating siege by the RSF since May of last year, with fierce fighting between the warring parties causing a dire humanitarian situation.