The war in Sudan

Paramilitary RSF takes the army's last stronghold in Darfur - civilians' escape routes are cut off

The paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has taken control of a military base in al-Fashir in Sudan, writes AFP. There are reports that paramilitary soldiers have made their way further into the city and that escape routes are being cut off.

Now, concern is growing for the hundreds of thousands of civilians who are in al-Fashir, according to several media outlets. UN relief chief Tom Fletcher says in a press release that the residents are "trapped and terrified" - they are being shelled, starving and lack access to food and medical care.

The city has been the Sudanese army's last stronghold in the war-torn region of Darfur. It has been besieged by the RSF and its allies for 18 months, and the area is described as one of the worst combat zones in Sudan's civil war.

The information that the RSF has taken control marks a decisive turning point in the war, which has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and created the world's largest hunger and refugee crisis, writes AFP. According to analysts, the consequence could be that Sudan is effectively divided between the RSF and the army.

Guterres warns of a "terrible escalation"

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warns of a "terrible escalation" in the fighting in al-Fashir in Darfur, writes AFP. He describes the suffering in the civil war in Sudan as "unbearable" and urges the outside world to stop foreign interference and the flow of weapons to the warring parties, the army and the paramilitary RSF.

- We are seeing more and more external interference, which reduces the possibilities for a ceasefire and a political solution, says Guterres.

The paramilitary RSF claims to have taken control of al-Fashir after an 18-month siege. If true, the Sudanese army's last stronghold in the region has fallen.

There is an almost total lack of transparency in al-Fashir. Communications are down and power lines have been cut, making it almost impossible to reach civilians and local organizations. A Sudanese journalist network says al-Fashir is in a "media blackout."