Siege of El Fasher
| Siege of El Fasher | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Darfur campaign of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present) | |||||||||
Map of the siege and fall of El Fasher | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
Sudan Liberation Movement – El Foka |
| ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Asia Al-Khalifa Nimir Mohammed Abdelrahman (until December 2023) Minni Minawi Babikir Musa † Abbas Minnawi † Gibril Ibrahim El Sadig El Foka Abdul Wahid al-Nur |
Ali Yaqoub Gibril † Nimir Mohammed Abdelrahman (after December 2023) Abdul Rahman Qarn Shata † Abu Al Qasim-Ali Musa † Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed Ibrahim Delib † Hamida Abbas † | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
SAF claim: 8,600 killed 2,400 wounded 3,000+ deserted RSF claim: 1 Antonov An-26 destroyed |
SAF claim: 95+ killed Dozens wounded 80 vehicles destroyed 10 vehicles captured 126 drones destroyed JDF claim: 15,470 killed (including mercenaries from Colombia, Libya, Chad) Several commanders killed 25 vehicles destroyed 30 vehicles captured | ||||||||
|
782+ civilians killed, 1,143+ injured (May 2024) | |||||||||
The Siege of El Fasher was an 18-month siege of the Sudanese city of El Fasher, North Darfur by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as part of the Sudanese civil war. It was preceded by a series of battles for control between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), during which the city became the last stronghold of the SAF in Darfur. The fall of the city in October 2025 resulted in the El Fasher massacre.
The first battle for the city took place between 13 and 20 April 2023, and resulted in ceasefire that held until 12 May. Clashes broke out again between 12 and 29 May, and ended with a more stable ceasefire that lasted until August. By September, the city had become a haven for refugees across the region, without enough food and water.
In February 2024, the United Nations mission completed its withdrawal from Sudan. From late 2024 to April 2025, the Rapid Support Forces launched attacks on Abu Shouk and Zamzam Refugee Camps surrounding El Fasher, killing hundreds of civilians. Indiscriminate bombings of civilian sites in the city occurred in the summer and fall of 2025, and throughout August 2025 the RSF began building a wall to surround the city and the Sudanese Armed Forces inside. On 19 September, the RSF bombed Al Jamia Mosque during Friday prayer.
The RSF seized full control of El Fasher district on 26 October 2025 after the retreat of the 6th Infantry Division. In the immediate aftermath, RSF militants carried out the El Fasher massacre, indiscriminately attacking and slaughtering civilians in mass murders that occurred in and around the city. Several thousand civilians fled to Tawila. As of 1 November, massacres are believed to be continuing.