A battle rages for a key city in Sudan’s ravaged western region
The civil war’s outcome may be affected by it
For more than a year after civil war began in Sudan, el-Fasher held out. City after city in Darfur, a vast western region of which it is the capital, fell to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group fighting to take over all of Sudan. But el-Fasher remained an island of relative stability. Tens of thousands of people fleeing ethnic cleansing and possible genocide elsewhere joined the hundreds of thousands who had settled in the city during the previous Darfur war 20 years ago. While much of Sudan has collapsed into chaos, el-Fasher maintained a fragile peace.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “A last stand in ravaged Darfur”
Middle East & Africa June 1st 2024
From the June 1st 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Middle East & Africa
West African booze is becoming a luxury product
Female entrepreneurs are leading the charge
First, the ceasefire. Next the Trump effect could upend the Middle East
Will Israel and Donald Trump use the threat of annexation to secure a new grand bargain?
After 15 months of hell, Israel and Hamas sign a ceasefire deal
Donald Trump provided the X factor by putting heat on Binyamin Netanyahu, who insists the war isn’t over yet
A hidden refuge in Sudan that the internet, banks—and war—can’t reach
A visit to the Nuba mountains provides a glimpse into the future of the country
Violent jihadists are getting frustrated by the new Syria
Tipsy dancers, Christmas decorations, Shias and women’s rights are in the crosshairs
America concludes genocide has been committed in Sudan—again
The move highlights the magnitude of Sudan’s civil war but does little to end it