Sudan war takes a turn as paramilitary force captures Darfur, threatening to split the country

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces this week seized control of the entire Darfur region, after ousting the rival Sudanese army from its last stronghold there. The fighting for control of Sudan has killed over 40,000 people and created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis with over 14 million displaced.

The capture of el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur, by the powerful Arab-led force raises fears that Africa’s third-largest nation may split again, nearly 15 years after the oil-rich South Sudan gained independence following years of civil war.

The RSF is led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, a commander who had briefly ruled Sudan alongside his military rival, and whose meteoric rise to power has shaped Sudanese politics for the past decade.

Dagalo has since expanded his powerful militia and financial network. His fighters were sent to fight in Yemen, as part of a Saudi-led coalition, and in Libya, with support from the United Arab Emirates. The RSF also protected the country’s borders from illegal migration to Europe in a controversial deal between the European Union and a bloc of African countries. The EU said it did not directly pay the RSF.

Read more: AP