Fri May 02 14:41:08 UTC 2025: ## RSF Seizes Strategic Sudanese City, Intensifying Darfur Offensive
**Al-Nahud, Sudan –** At least 19 people were killed and 37 wounded in fierce fighting for control of the strategic Sudanese city of al-Nahud, according to sources speaking to Al Jazeera. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claimed victory on Thursday, declaring they had “liberated” the city from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The RSF’s capture of al-Nahud, a gateway to the Darfur region, gives them a significant strategic advantage in their ongoing push to seize el-Fasher, the Darfur capital.
The RSF’s advance has been marked by violence, with reports of looting and the killing of civilians, including a doctor, a journalist, and a police officer. The conflict, which has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced over 12 million, shows no signs of abating. The UN reported 542 deaths in Darfur in the past three weeks alone. The fighting in and around el-Fasher has caused hundreds of thousands more to flee toward Tawila.
The RSF’s intensified campaign in Darfur follows their recent loss of the national capital, Khartoum, last month. Their control of al-Nahud positions them to further advance on el-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur still held by the SAF. Despite focusing on Darfur, the RSF continues to threaten Khartoum, recently shelling the presidential palace and the army’s General Command headquarters.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk condemned the escalating violence, stating that the “horror unfolding in Sudan knows no bounds,” citing the high death toll in Darfur and extrajudicial killings in Khartoum state. The conflict has effectively split Sudan, with the SAF largely controlling the north and east, while the RSF dominates Darfur and parts of the south. The fighting continues to cause immense suffering and displacement across the country.
First Piper 