EL-FASHER, North Darfur — A new ring of earthen berms built by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militia is tightening the noose around El-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur not under RSF control. Satellite-based analysis by humanitarian mappers shows a continuous arc of earthworks west and north of the city and new segments sprouting off a key eastern approach—engineering that turns a long, grinding siege into a set of controlled gates.
What the new berms show
Analysts traced four distinct construction phases, captured in the map above:
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1: ~9 km thrown up between 14–24 July 2025 (this stretch includes Alsen village).
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2: ~6 km added 3–19 August 2025.
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3: ~7 km built 5 May–12 July 2025.
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4: ~9 km on the eastern axis, still under construction 13–27 August 2025.
Taken together, the berms form ~22 km of earthworks from the west to the north of El-Fasher, plus ~9 km of spurs running north and south from a main road in the east—a semi-circle that channels movement into a handful of corridors RSF can watch, mine, or range with direct and indirect fire. Imagery across Alsen indicates widespread destruction sometime 20 May–6 July.
The same analysis flagged damage to the city’s water treatment facility near the airport, where the Sudanese army garrison is concentrated. Despite visible strike effects, the plant appears still operating, a vital lifeline in a city whose population is commonly estimated around 300,000.
Why these earthworks matter
Berms are simple, fast, and cheap. In El-Fasher they also:
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Deepen siege conditions. By canalising traffic into narrow lanes, RSF can decide who and what enters or leaves—a lever over food, fuel, medicine, and human movement.
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Shape the battle. Earth dikes create firing lines and covered routes for assault groups, while denying the defenders easy breakout options.
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Support information control. When only a few gates exist, it’s easier to police phones, seize supplies, and force displaced people to turn back.
Local doctors, aid groups, and residents describe an environment of constant bombardment, food scarcity, and medical collapse. Many families report being unable to flee: “We have no money,” said Halima Hashim, a schoolteacher and mother of four. “Staying is a slow death, but leaving is dangerous.” Community leaders also accuse RSF and allied Arab militias of targeting non-Arab civilians—charges the RSF has repeatedly denied.
The tactical picture inside the city
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Defence core. The army’s most defensible ground remains the airport complex and adjacent bases. RSF pressure aims to split these nodes from surrounding districts and starve them of resupply.
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Firepower mix. RSF employs drones, AT weapons, technicals, and mortars to attrit strongpoints, while harassment fires and loitering munitions target movement on known service roads.
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Urban risk. The new eastern spurs hint at a coming push to close the last wide approaches, while the western/northern arc consolidates gains across farmland and wadis.
Humanitarians have been blocked for months from consistent ground access. Stocks that do arrive are quickly exhausted; price spikes and malnutrition climb; trauma care competes with outbreaks and water-borne disease as the city’s health system thins.
What El-Fasher’s fall would mean
If El-Fasher is taken, the RSF would control all the Darfur state capitals, shifting the war’s centre of gravity and raising the risk of a de facto partition—with each side administering its own territory, laws, and revenue. For civilians, that would likely mean another wave of mass displacement toward Chad and deeper aid access crises inside Darfur.
48–72 hour watchlist
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Earthworks and gates. Continued red-line expansion on the eastern axis; look for new culverts, checkpoints, and mine belts.
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Water and power. Any renewed strike on the treatment plant or power feeders will sharply worsen humanitarian conditions.
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Air and EW activity. Drone and jamming spikes usually precede ground pushes; expect short, violent fire windows.
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Breakout or infiltration attempts. Small-group exfiltration from besieged blocks, or army raids to disrupt berm construction teams.
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Diplomatic pressure. Local leaders are appealing for UN Security Council action; watch for any corridor or evacuation announcement.
Bottom line
The berms around El-Fasher transform a fluid siege into a managed choke, giving the RSF both military leverage and humanitarian control. Short of a negotiated access deal, civilians remain trapped between artillery and empty shelves—and a city once open to trade now faces the engineered geometry of hunger.
