{"id":7103,"date":"2026-03-16T09:19:56","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T09:19:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jubaglobal.com\/?p=7103"},"modified":"2026-03-16T09:19:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T09:19:57","slug":"rsf-consolidates-control-in-north-darfur-amid-sudans-devastating-civil-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/rsf-consolidates-control-in-north-darfur-amid-sudans-devastating-civil-war\/","title":{"rendered":"RSF Consolidates Control in North Darfur Amid Sudan\u2019s Devastating Civil War"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1977\/2026\/03\/IMG_3922.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7104\" srcset=\"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1977\/2026\/03\/IMG_3922.jpeg 1320w, https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1977\/2026\/03\/IMG_3922-768x768.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1977\/2026\/03\/IMG_3922-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1320px) 100vw, 1320px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As of mid-March 2026, Sudan\u2019s civil war\u2014now in its fourth year\u2014has reached another grim milestone: the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group led by Mohamed \u201cHemedti\u201d Hamdan Dagalo, has consolidated near-total control over North Darfur, including the regional capital El Fasher and most surrounding towns and villages. This development follows months of intense fighting, drone strikes, and RSF advances in Kordofan and Blue Nile states, dramatically shifting the balance of power away from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in several key theaters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The RSF\u2019s gains in North Darfur mark one of the most significant territorial victories since the war erupted in April 2023 between the SAF (led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan) and the RSF. El Fasher, once a SAF stronghold and humanitarian hub, fell after a prolonged siege and brutal house-to-house combat in late February and early March 2026. The loss of North Darfur has left the SAF with almost no meaningful presence in the western region, severely weakening its ability to project power and protect civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Background: From Darfur Origins to National War<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The RSF was originally formed from the Janjaweed militias responsible for the 2003\u20132005 Darfur genocide. Over the past two decades, Hemedti transformed the group into a powerful mercenary force, fighting in Yemen, Libya, and Central African Republic, while also controlling lucrative gold mines in Darfur. The 2019 ousting of Omar al-Bashir briefly aligned the RSF with the transitional civilian-military government, but tensions with the SAF over integration into the regular army eventually exploded into open war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since April 2023, the conflict has killed tens of thousands, displaced over 10 million people (roughly one-fifth of Sudan\u2019s population), and triggered one of the world\u2019s worst humanitarian crises. The RSF has been repeatedly accused by the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International of committing widespread war crimes, including ethnic massacres, rape, looting, and burning entire villages\u2014particularly targeting non-Arab communities in Darfur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Fall of El Fasher and RSF Consolidation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>El Fasher had held out longer than most other major cities in Darfur. Joint Darfuri armed groups (the \u201cJoint Protection Force\u201d) and SAF remnants resisted RSF advances for months, but supply lines were cut, airstrikes became sporadic, and food and medical supplies dwindled. By early March 2026, RSF forces\u2014bolstered by drone support, Toyota-mounted heavy machine guns, and thousands of fighters\u2014overran the city\u2019s defenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Key developments in the North Darfur campaign:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Late January\u2013February 2026: RSF captured key towns around El Fasher (Kutum, Mellit, Tawila), isolating the city.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>February 24\u2013March 5: Intense urban fighting; RSF used drones to target SAF positions and humanitarian corridors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>March 8\u201312: Final collapse of SAF and Joint Force resistance in El Fasher; mass exodus of civilians toward Chad and refugee camps.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mid-March 2026: RSF declares full control of North Darfur, begins installing administrators and imposing taxes on remaining markets and gold trade.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The RSF has also made gains in North Kordofan (capturing parts of Al-Ubayyid outskirts) and Blue Nile (advancing toward Damazin), using hit-and-run tactics combined with sustained drone and artillery bombardment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Humanitarian Catastrophe and Ethnic Targeting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The RSF takeover has triggered fresh waves of ethnic violence and forced displacement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Reports of mass killings of Masalit and other non-Arab communities in villages around El Fasher and Kutum.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thousands fleeing toward the Chad border; new makeshift camps overflowing with malnourished children.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Blockade of humanitarian aid routes; World Food Programme warehouses looted.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sexual violence used systematically as a weapon of war, according to UN and NGO accounts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The United Nations now estimates that 25 million Sudanese\u2014more than half the population\u2014face acute hunger, with famine already confirmed in parts of North Darfur under RSF control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Regional and International Reactions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The RSF\u2019s consolidation has prompted alarm across the region:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Chad fears spillover and new refugee influxes straining already fragile border areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Egypt and Eritrea have quietly increased support to the SAF to prevent an RSF-dominated Sudan.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The United Arab Emirates\u2014long accused of arming the RSF\u2014faces renewed scrutiny, though it denies direct involvement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The African Union and IGAD continue to push for ceasefire talks in Jeddah and Addis Ababa, but both sides remain intransigent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The United States, United Kingdom, and European Union have imposed sanctions on RSF commanders and gold traders linked to Hemedti, but enforcement remains weak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What Comes Next?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The RSF now controls most of Darfur, large parts of Kordofan, and significant areas of Khartoum state. This gives Hemedti control over much of Sudan\u2019s gold production and trade routes to Libya and Chad\u2014crucial sources of revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Analysts warn that the RSF\u2019s territorial gains do not necessarily translate into stable governance. The group has struggled to administer captured cities, relying on extortion and repression. Meanwhile, the SAF retains control of Port Sudan, eastern Sudan, and parts of central Sudan, and continues to receive external support from Egypt, Turkey, and Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sudan\u2019s war is increasingly looking like a de-facto partition: SAF in the east and center, RSF in the west and parts of the capital region. Without meaningful international pressure and a credible peace process, the fighting\u2014and the suffering\u2014is likely to drag on for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the latest updates, follow reports from ACLED, Sudan Tribune, Radio Dabanga, and international outlets such as BBC Africa, Reuters, and Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The tragedy of Sudan continues to unfold\u2014one of the largest humanitarian crises in modern history, with no end in sight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As of mid-March 2026, Sudan\u2019s civil war\u2014now in its fourth year\u2014has reached another grim milestone:&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1199,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[830,643,1,843],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-more-articles","category-news","category-sudan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1199"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7103"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7103\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7105,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7103\/revisions\/7105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}