The Battle of El Fasher is an ongoing battle for control of the town of El Fasher in North Darfur during the 2023 Sudan conflict. The first battle for the city took place between April 15 and April 20, and resulted in a ceasefire that held until May 12. Clashes broke out again between May 12 and 29, and ended with a more stable ceasefire that lasted until August. By September, the city had become a haven for refugees across the region, and was also suffering from food and water shortages.
Background
War in Darfur
In 2003, rebel movements in Southern Sudan, the predominantly non-Arab Justice and Equality Movement and Sudan People's Liberation Movement launched attacks against Sudanese Army bases and their allies, the predominantly Arab Janjaweed militia. JEM and SPLM launched the attacks in opposition to dictator Omar al-Bashir, who promptly declared war against the militias. Since 2003, the war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, and displaced many more.
For much of the war in Darfur, al-Fashir was controlled by the Sudanese Army and Janjaweed, although rebels held positions in the remote Jebel Marrah. The city was often a place of negotiations, with meetings taking place in 2010 and the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur being signed there in 2013. Despite this, fighting still occurred occasionally in the city, between rebels, UNAMID, the Sudanese Army, and the Janjaweed.
The war in Darfur ended after the Sudanese Revolution ousted al-Bashir in 2020, and warring parties signed the Juba Peace Agreement. However, clashes continued sporadically, and looting, raids, and battles stemming from property or ethnic disputes continued in August 2021. In these attacks, dozens of people were killed, and North Darfuri security forces and the Sudanese Army were often unable to stabilize the situation. In December 2021, looting and violence occurred around the former United Nations base in the town, that was used logistically by UNAMID.
In March 2023, tribal clashes continued, with four people killed due to infighting in the Bani Hussein tribe.
Political tensions and beginning of the conflict
Following the Sudanese revolution, Nimir Mohammed Abdelrahman was appointed governor, and Mohammed Hassan Arabi was dismissed. In Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, many Janjaweed enlisted into the Rapid Support Forces led by Hemedti, a paramilitary affiliated with the Sudanese Army founded in 2013. Civilian-administration leader Abdalla Hamdok was overthrown in 2021 by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the transitional military leader, with the aid of the RSF. However, by early 2023, tensions grew between Hemedti and Burhan over the integration of the RSF into the Sudanese Army, as the integration would heavily decrease RSF's independence and effectiveness. These tensions came to a head on April 15, when RSF soldiers attacked SAF positions in Khartoum and Merowe.
Battle
First battle (April 15–20) Clashes erupted in El Fasher on April 15, like many other cities across Sudan. The RSF claimed to have captured the El Fasher airport and several military sites in the city by April 16, but this was unverifiable at the time. 27 people were injured in the first battles according to Chinese state media, and there were reports of casualties. By April 17, hospitals in the city were receiving an overflow of patients, and most victims were being transferred to the police hospital. Deadly attacks took place in El Jama neighborhood as well. In Abu Shouk refugee camp and El Fasher, eleven people were killed and ninety were injured. In response, Governor Abdelrahman announced the creation of a burial committee to quell the clashes. Electricity was cut off in the city, and the main market and livestock market were both destroyed. The airport was closed as well. Civilians in El Fasher reported that RSF forces controlled El Manhal refugee camp and el-Ghaba neighborhood, while SAF controlled the General Command headquarters and neighborhoods around El Manhal and El Ghaba.