Sudan’s RSF captures key army stronghold of el-Fula | Conflict news

Capture of el-Fula exacerbates humanitarian crisis, Doctors Without Borders criticizes “totally inadequate” response to the war.

According to sources, Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have taken control of el-Fula, the capital of West Kordofan state.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) fought the RSF for several hours before withdrawing from the city, with the paramilitary group occupying government and military headquarters, the same sources said on Thursday.

Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, said the capture of el-Fula was “significant” as it was one of only two army bases in strategically located West Kordofan with a power plant.

El-Fula is centrally located and offers access to regional and national borders. “So there are concerns that the RSF could gain more control not only over the country’s territory but also over the power plant there,” she said.

The army had meanwhile withdrawn to Babanusa, its only remaining base in the region. “If the RSF takes control of Babanusa as well, it will give them more control over the entire country, which is supposedly their goal,” Morgan said.

The attack on el-Fula was “not surprising,” she said, as the paramilitary group has repeatedly stated that it was targeting not only Sudanese army positions in the Darfur region, but also elsewhere in the country.

The capture of the army stronghold, which led to more civilians fleeing their homes, came at a time when the aid organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) criticized humanitarian aid in one of the world’s “worst crises” in decades as “completely inadequate.”

“There is extreme suffering throughout the country and the need is growing day by day,” said Christos Christou, MSF’s international president, in a post on the social media platform X on Thursday.

Sudan is suffering from one of the worst crises the world has seen in decades. There is extreme suffering throughout the country, needs are growing daily, but humanitarian aid is completely inadequate. – @DrChristou #Let’sTalkAboutSudanMSF pic.twitter.com/7zio1EeVRL

— MSF East Africa (@MSF_EastAfrica) 8 April 2024

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Given the repeated fighting between the SAF and the RSF around Babanusa in recent weeks, it is uncertain whether aid organizations will be able to reach the displaced, said Al Jazeera’s Morgan.

“Aid agencies have reported difficulties reaching the West Kordofan region and other parts of the country,” she said.

“It is likely that the needs of those in need of humanitarian assistance will increase given the fighting in El-Fula and the displacement of civilians.”

For more than a year, war has been raging between the regular army under army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF under the leadership of his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo.

The conflict, which began in April 2023, has left tens of thousands dead and displaced more than 10 million people, making it the world’s worst internal displacement crisis, according to the United Nations.

Both sides are accused of war crimes, including targeted attacks on civilians, indiscriminate shelling of residential areas and blocking humanitarian aid despite warnings that millions of people were at risk of starvation.

Human rights groups and the United States also accused the paramilitaries of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.