Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan acknowledged on Monday the withdrawal of the army from the city of El Fasher in the Darfur region, following the announcement by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of their control over the city after battles that have continued since April 2023.

Al-Burhan said in a televised address: “We agreed to withdraw the army from El Fasher to a safe location,” emphasizing that his forces “will take revenge for what happened to the people of El Fasher.”

The Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces announced that they have fully taken control of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state in western Sudan.

El Fasher was the last major administrative center in the Darfur region still under the control of the Sudanese Armed Forces.