Places in News: El-Fasher
Context:
Reports are mounting of ethnically motivated atrocities and mass executions in the Sudanese city of El-Fasher following its capture by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
El-Fasher fell to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after more than 18 months of brutal siege warfare.
It gave the RSF control over all five state capitals in Darfur, consolidating its parallel administration in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur.
Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
The RSF is a paramilitary group waging a brutal war against its former allies (the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)) since April 2023
Allies of the Army (the Joint Forces) accuse the RSF of committing heinous crimes in El-Fasher. (execution of more than 2,000 unarmed citizens)
El-Fasher and the North Darfur Region
El-Fasher is the capital of Sudan's North Darfur region.
It was the last major city in Darfur that remained under government control
The city fell to the RSF after more than 18 months of a brutal siege
Geographical factors of North Darfur Region:
North Darfur is located in the northwest of Sudan and - with more than 296,420 square kilometers - occupies more than half of the Darfur territory.
The state borders Chad and Libya, as well as the states of Central, East, South and West Darfur, North and West Kordofan and Northern State.
North Darfur includes parts of the mountainous Jebel Marra region to the south.
Climate:
The North Darfur climate is characterised by a semi-desert in the middle and dry savannah in the south of the state, with low rainfall (average of 195 mm/year) and unfavourable geological structure to hold groundwater.
Climate change has resulted in increasing droughts, affecting the livelihoods of many people living in the state.
Humanitarian Crisis:
With escape routes cut off, hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped, shelled, starving, and without access to food, healthcare or safety.
Intensified attacks have made it impossible for humanitarian agencies to get lifesaving supplies into the city.
The conflict has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises (displacing over 11.7 million people, with 4.2 million fleeing as refugees)