A SHORT HISTORY OF EL FASHER AFTER THE FALL OF NYALA (OCTOBER 2023), BY GAFFAR MOHAMMUD SAENEEN
JUNE 27, 2024
El Fasher: steadfastness and fierce resistance
The city of El Fasher is the only remaining capital city in Darfur under the control of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). They are coordinating with the armed struggle movements (i.e., former rebel groups that signed the so-called Juba Peace Agreement in 2020); and they are also coordinating with popular resistance groups made up of citizens of El Fasher. They fight on in defending El Fasher from the brutal siege and continuing barbaric attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The city of El Fasher occupies a strategic location in North Darfur. It is considered the only large city that can be reached from other cities in North Sudan, this by means of the main road in the region. Up until November 2023, it was considered the only entrance for humanitarian aid convoys coming from Port Sudan on the Red Sea. International aid is then transferred to the rest of the region.
North Darfur is also bordered to the west by the Republic of Chad, and to the north by Libya, which makes it a strategic military location for any party desiring to control the region. Many tribal groups and ethnicities from various parts of Sudan live in the city of El Fasher, but they are dominated by the ethnicities from which the Africans tribes descend, such as the Fur, Zaghawa and Masalit; most of them live in the displacement camps around the city.
As for the tribes of Arab origin, they are not numerous and most of them live in South and East Darfur, both of which have been controlled by the RSF since last year. El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State in Sudan, is one of the oldest cities in Darfur, historically and politically. It is defined by a strong social cohesion within its tribal components and plays an influential role in political decision-making. It represents the main headquarters of the region’s governments throughout its history.
Military reinforcements to protect El Fasher from RSF’S attack
The capital of South Darfur (Nyala) fell on October 26 last year and remains under the control of the Rapid Support Forces. This ended the neutrality of the rebel groups of the Juba Peace Agreement, and they became military reinforcements for the SAF. On the sixteenth of November 2023, about three week after the fall of Nyala, the armed struggle movements (the Juba signatory groups) announced the they would participate in militarily on all fronts facing the Rapid Support Forces and strongly condemned the egregious human rights violations of the RSF, which they described as “practices that are anti-national, anti-civilian, and crimes against humanity, including the right to life.
The armed struggle movements also declared its adherence to the unity of Sudan and said that they would not allow “the agenda of dismantling Sudan that is currently underway” to pass. A statement issued by the armed struggle movements, read at a press conference in Port Sudan, said that they will not allow the dismantling of Sudan, nor will they allow Darfur to be a gateway to the dismantling of Sudan, strongly warning the forces that seek “to tear Sudan apart by using foreign circles and seek to establish independent states on the ruins of the Sudanese state.”
The statement called on Chad to stop supporting the RSF, to stop supplying them with supplies and equipment, and to open its borders, airspace, airports, and lands. The statement called on the international and regional community to take a clear stance to stop the war and preserve Sudan’s unity and sovereignty. The African Union also called for an end to the violations and “crimes of genocide” currently being committed in Darfur.
Fall of Nyala
After the fall of Nyala on October 26, 2023, the Rapid Support Forces continued their attacks with an assault on Zalingei, capital of Central Darfur State. This led to the fall of the city on October 31, 2023 and prompted the joint force of the armed struggle movements in El Fasher to provide large military reinforcements in various neighborhoods and main streets of the city, attempting to limit any movements of the RSF.
The RSF engaged in the most barbaric form of war, in which they always target unarmed civilians; they have also greatly strengthened their forces, amid anticipation and expectation of armed confrontations .The fall of Zalingei at the end of October 2023, followed by fall of El Geneina garrison on November 4th, left El Fasher as the only remaining major city under control of the de facto Sudan government, based in Port Sudan.
After the fall of the three major cities mentioned above with their respective SAF garrisons, the RSF began their barbaric attack on El Fasher on May 10, 2024. El Fasher and its residents gravely suffered greatly and continue to do so as the siege continues. The RSF uses intimidation and blackmail as a means of assisting attacks on the people of El Fasher, the city itself, and the neighboring areas of the displaced camps.
Even before the RSF assaults and siege, there was severe human suffering from an acute shortage of the most basic necessities. For the siege was of a city now wildly overpopulated as a result of attacks by the Rapid Support Forces on the villages and cities in more rural areas.
The continuous attack on the villages adjacent to El Fasher and the continuous intimidation and blackmail of notables from the civil administrations by the Rapid Support Forces was part of a desperate attempt to break the will of the people of El Fasher and force them to surrender.
The attack on El Fasher on May 10, 2024
Constant RSF attempts at intimidation and blackmail failed. But despite repeated warnings from the US, UK, the UN and many other stakeholders—and repeated calls from regional and international human rights organizations—the Rapid Support militias led by Major General Ali Yaqoub mobilized tens of thousands from South Darfur, East Darfur, West Darfur and Central Darfur to attack El Fasher ignoring international sentiment. As a result of their barbaric, brutal attacks on El Fasher an unknown number of innocent citizens were killed and an unknown number wounded.
The RSF deployed all kinds of lethal weapons, including internationally banned weapons which have been supplied by the United Arab Emirates. In addition, tens of thousands of citizens have been displaced, their homes were burned, their young daughters raped, their property was looted, and even city hospitals and camps for the displaced were not spared from this brutal attack on the city.
El Fasher has not and will not bow to mercenaries and war criminals
Despite the brutal violence attack that the city of El Fasher and its neighbouring villages were subjected to—now for over a month—and the daily suffering caused by the siege–killings, woundings, and sexual violence—the people of El Fasher have not thought of surrendering their beloved city to the RSF terrorists, this despite the continuous shelling, attacks on medical facilities, and efforts to strangle the city with denial of food.
The reasons that made El Fasher withstand the violent attack and be resistant to the aggressors are:
Strong social cohesion
El Fasher is one of Sudan’s most diverse cities, and it finds a solid emotional harmony among its social components, so it is difficult to dismantle or divide them on the basis of their ethnicity or tribal lines.
Popular Support Committee
Upon the fall of Nyala in October 2023, the people of El Fasher and the surrounding areas—including tribal notables and civil servants—rushed to establish a solid resistance through a “Popular Support” Committee; they resolved to defend El Fasher and its people at any cost. Today, this “popular support” committee has become the pivotal central committee that connects all the defenders of El Fasher, its neighbouring villages, and IDP camps.
Joint Force of Armed Struggle Movements
The joint force of the armed struggle movements is a force made up of groups known as “Juba Signatories,” the main movements that had fought against the former regime of Omar al-Bashir since 2002. The fierce fighting of these armed groups prompted the former regime to form the Janjaweed (which would become the RSF) in an attempt to combat armed rebellion. This joint force of armed struggle movements is made up of several armed movements from Darfur and have great popular support in the region Darfur. It has a large number of fierce fighters with combat experience, as well as experience in street warfare and the guerrilla tactics practiced by the Rapid Support Forces.
In addition to their substantial combat experience, the fighters of this joint force are motivated by the spirit of revenge, as they recall the Janjaweed violations against their people and the abuses that they have experienced for many years from these militias. This is in addition to feeling an emotional connection to the plight of their families. These armed struggle movements fighters are now leading the front lines and they are resolved to fight to the last man standing.
The SAF and Al-Gharbia
The SAF in Darfur is known by its nickname the “Al-Gharbia” army. Moreover, in addition to the SAF of the 16th Infantry division, the other army forces of the SAF— whose garrisons fell in places like Nyala in South Darfur, Zalingei in Central Darfur, and El Geneina in West Darfur—all gathered in El Fasher and joined the command of the 16th Infantry Division in El Fasher. These armies, in addition to their diverse combat experiences, are led (for the most part) by officers previously part of the armed resistance before being integrated.
Historically, the Al-Gharbia army has been known by their fierce combat reputation and is considered one of the most stubborn among Sudan’s army on the battlefield.
Al-Qashn Forces (short for Self-Defence Forces)
These forces (Qashn) are various popular militias that gathered from all over the Darfurian countryside for the purpose of defending El Fasher and its people from the attack of the Rapid Support Forces. These various Qashn groups, some of which have considerable combat experience and are experienced in guerrilla warfare. date back to the era of the popular camps before war in Darfur began in 2002.
These Qashn fighters are mostly made up of popular groups that were harmed, humiliated, and provoked by violations of the Janjaweed and the Rapid Support Forces for a very long time and are motivated by a sense of injustice, vengeance, and accumulated anger. These are the most fierce, fearless and deadly fighters; the RSF definitely wants to avoid confronting them on the battlefield.
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El Fasher and the Rapid Support Forces: Brutality, Cruelty, and Endless Destructiveness
Photographic addendum (Eric Reeves)
