Rebel forces claim to have captured Sudanese army headquarters

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) says it has captured army headquarters in the besieged town of el-Fasher, marking a turning point in the nation’s civil war.

The group said in a statement on social media that it destroyed “huge military vehicles” and seized military equipment at the headquarters of the army’s 6th Division.

BBC Verify has confirmed the authenticity of videos circulating on social media that show RSF fighters at the army base.

The loss of the headquarters is a huge blow to government forces as El-Fasher is their last remaining foothold in the Darfur region, leaving the RSF effectively in control of the area. The Army has yet to comment.

The RSF has encircled El-Fasher for the past 18 months, with army positions and civilians under frequent bombardment. An estimated 300,000 people are trapped by the fighting.

In August, satellite images showed a series of vast earth walls being built around the city, aimed at trapping people inside.

The RSF had been steadily advancing on the command of the 6th Infantry Division – widely regarded as the army’s headquarters in the city – from several directions for weeks.

There are still some parts of al-Fasher under the control of the army and allied armed groups – but those, but those, are not expected to last much longer now.

Famine and disease have spread throughout the city as residents struggle with constant bombing and dwindling food and medical supplies.

UN investigators have accused the RSF of committing numerous crimes against humanity during the siege. The US has claimed that the RSF committed genocide against the non-Arab population of Darfur.

Sudan has been wracked by conflict since 2023, after senior RSF commanders and the Sudanese army fell apart and a fierce power struggle ensued.

More than 150,000 people have died across the country and around 12 million have been displaced, creating one of the worst humanitarian crises.

The army controls most of the north and east, with al-Fasher so far the last major urban center in Darfur still held by government forces and its allies.

The RSF control almost all of Darfur and much of the neighboring Kordofan region.

When the RSF take full control of el-Fasher, they hope to form a rival government there.

Additional reporting by Peter Mwai