MON 27 OCT – The RSF yesterday captured SAF’s final military base in Darfur, further cementing their control over El Fasher, the North Darfur capital which the RSF has besieged for over sixteen months. SAF ‘tactically withdrew’ from their headquarters in El Fasher and most SAF and allied-Juba Peace Agreement (JPA) commanders reportedly left El Fasher last night. Only small pockets of fighting have been reported this morning between local militias and the RSF.
Heavy clashes took place yesterday around the 6th Infantry Division and the 23rd Infantry Brigade. Intense close quarter battles were concentrated along the southern and western corridors of the city, sources told Avaaz. New damage in the past 48 hours to the airfield, SAF’s main operations base, was observed in satellite imagery by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab.
Between 2,500 and 3,000 individuals were displaced by yesterday’s fighting, reports the UN IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM). The displaced were expected to flee towards Tawila and Melit localities. This is in addition to the estimated 2,000 persons who were also displaced from El Fasher city from 23-25 October amidst escalating conflict. Though Tawila has received the highest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from El Fasher, humanitarians told Avaaz that the response is still significantly under-resourced and requires an urgent and immediate increase in funding by donors.
Fears of Attacks Against Civilians, Journalists at Risk
The ongoing telecommunications blackout has made it impossible to reach civilians in the city amidst the chaos, leaving the RSF’s self-recorded footage as one of the clearest sources for the unfolding events. Footage of RSF troops celebrating in and around the 6th Infantry headquarters flooded social media yesterday with the sound of heavy gunfire in the background. Abdulrahim Dagalo, the RSF deputy commander, called on his troops to not loot or target civilians in yesterday’s speech delivered from the 6th Infantry.
However, footage appeared last night of the RSF detaining prominent journalist Muammar Ibrahim. Muammar has been covering the conditions in El Fasher since the start of the war, reporting in Arabic to alert Sudan and the wider world to the reality faced by civilians.
For months, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has been raising the alarm about Muammar’s deteriorating conditions amidst the worsening food shortages in El Fasher. Although Muammar’s detention is currently the most high profile, there are many other journalists who are at risk from the RSF due to their reporting. Earlier this month, journalist Al Nour Suleiman al Nour was killed when a suspected RSF shell hit his home in El Fasher on 3 October. “Both warring parties must immediately stop attacking journalists and other civilians, and ensure reporters can work safely to cover the war,” said CPJ.
Footage reportedly captured yesterday also shows the RSF shooting at and beating civilians as they attempted to flee the city. In some footage, the RSF is seen detaining thousands of civilians. RSF troops repeatedly use the slur “falangayat” across yesterday’s footage, a slur used by the RSF to refer to ‘African’ tribes in Darfur, tracing back to a term used to describe slaves. The term is also used to refer to anyone affiliated with SAF to degrade them.
“Thousands of civilians are at risk of atrocity crimes in and around El Fasher,” said Shayna Lewis, Sudan Specialist at Avaaz. “The international community has thus far failed in its responsibility to protect civilians, standing by whilst the RSF perpetrates a succession of ethnically-motivated massacres of civilians across Sudan. But it is not too late to prevent further large-scale loss of life.
“Governments must act now by immediately increasing funding to the humanitarian response to ensure access to healthcare, shelter, and food and water across the famine-stricken region. There must be accountability for any war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide that take place under the RSF’s near total control of Darfur,” she concluded.
Massad Boulos, the U.S. Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs called on the RSF to protect civilians and to ensure the safety of humanitarian personnel and aid operations. Meanwhile, civilians were killed in massacres in the city yesterday according to the Sudan Doctors Network. Avaaz has not yet been able to independently verify these reports.
Conflict Continues to Spread in Western Sudan
The RSF announced their control over Bara, a town in North Kordofan, 30 km north of El Obeid On 25 October 2025. Bara was controlled by the RSF for the first two years of the war until SAF captured the town in September 2025. Bara is strategically located on the main road that links the Darfur and Kordofan regions to the center of the country. An estimated 230 individuals were displaced from El Mazrub village in Gharb Bara locality in North Kordofan due to heightened insecurity, according to a DTM report.
The RSF has allegedly massacred hundreds of civilians in Bara city since 26 October, as reported by the Emergency Lawyers documentation group. The RSF is also continuing to advance in North Kordofan with recent reports of them taking control of Umm Damm Hajj Ahmed city near Bara and Zuriba town, northeast of the city of Al-Obeid, roughly 100km away. Like many active conflict areas in Sudan, the telecommunications networks in North Kordofan have been disrupted with Sudani and MTN particularly affected.
Sources in El Obeid confirmed the arrival of hundreds of families from Bara, many of whom are injured and missing family members. They also confirmed that the Sudani network had been offline from 6 pm to 12 am on Sunday.
The situation continues to evolve rapidly and Avaaz will keep providing updates through the Sudan Dispatch.
The weekly dispatch features the latest developments, first-hand testimony, footage, photos, stats and analysis on Sudan. We can connect you with voices from the ground, experts and survivors of the war. I am available at +44 7514 796 678 / sudan@avaaz.org
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The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is building an earthen wall around El Fasher to create a “kill box” and prevent civilians fleeing the besieged city, satellite imagery suggests.
People caught trying to smuggle food into the besieged city of El Fasher are being “executed on sight” by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to one civilian.
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