- RSF paramilitaries launch third major offensive on el-Fasher in 30 days
- Conflict death toll surpasses 24,000 with 80% civilian casualties
- 1.2 million displaced at risk as aid corridors collapse
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) intensified their campaign for regional dominance Sunday through coordinated strikes on el-Fasher, the last military-held city in Darfur. Local monitors report entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble, with emergency responders overwhelmed by mass casualties. This escalation follows the group’s strategic pivot to resource-rich western territories after losing ground in Khartoum.
Analysts identify three critical war developments: RSF now controls 88% of Darfur’s gold mines, weaponized starvation tactics appear in displacement camps, and cross-border arms trafficking through Chad has surged 140% since April. The Zamzam camp attack exemplifies this brutal calculus – by rendering the area inaccessible to aid groups, RSF gains leverage over international negotiators.
A regional comparison reveals alarming parallels to South Sudan’s 2014 crisis, where blocked humanitarian access directly caused 50,000 preventable deaths. Unlike that conflict however, Darfur’s complex tribal dynamics complicate potential mediation efforts. The Masalit community leaders report RSF-aligned militias now use drone surveillance to track displacement patterns, enabling precision attacks on vulnerable populations.
The World Food Programme confirms famine conditions will affect 750,000 Darfur residents by August without immediate intervention. Satellite imagery analyzed by Crisis Group shows systematic destruction of water infrastructure – 17 of 23 wells in el-Fasher’s outskirts disabled in May alone. This environmental warfare strategy mirrors tactics seen in Syria’s Aleppo siege, permanently altering the region’s agricultural capacity.