Witnesses told the BBC that the Sudanese Paramilitary Group Rapid Support Force (RSF) attacked the besieged city El-Fasher during a seven-hour battle on Friday.
RSF combatants managed to capture a cattle market, prisons and military bases while streaming videos of their members walking in empty livestock feedlots.
RSF fighters have entered the city for the first time since 15 months ago, a constant battle to control Darfur.
On Saturday morning, the army retaliated and successfully delayed the RSF beyond the limits of El-Fasher. But Mathilde Vu from the Norwegian Refugee Commission (NRC) described the city as a “death trap.”
“What we hear is the story of horror and horror, weekly shelling, attacks on civilian infrastructure,” Ms VU tells BBC NewShour plan.
“There are local volunteers – they are really struggling, and they are in danger of life every day trying to provide some food for most people who die of starvation.”
Siddig Omar, 65, an El-Fasher resident, told the BBC that the RSF entered the city from the south and southwest on Friday.
RSF fighters have been summoning in the city’s tides, often attacking El-Fasher. According to the army, this is their 220th attack.
But this time, in a seven-hour battle, they managed to control the city’s livestock market, which has been shut down for months.
From here they played a video of fighters walking in empty nests. They also briefly detained the headquarters of the Northern Prison and the Central Military Reserve.
On Saturday morning, the Army retaliated and successfully delayed the RSF beyond the city limits, saying it caused “huge losses” to the military.
But Omar said the RSF shelling – using drones – continued throughout Saturday.
“One of the shells hit a civilian car near my home, killing five civilians in the vehicle,” he said.
Sudan fell into a civil war in April 2023 after a vicious struggle broke out between its army and the RSF.
This led to famine and claims of genocide in the western Darfur region.
More than 150,000 people died in conflicts across the country, and about 12 million people fled the United Nations’ homeland that the world’s largest humanitarian crisis has been called.
El-Fasher is the only city in Darfur, currently controlled by the military. But the communication outage makes it difficult to confirm information from the surrounded cities, as only those with satellite internet connections can contact.
The latest RSF offense follows weeks of artillery and drone attacks. The team recently began using large drone aircraft.
The Army accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of funding the RSF, an allegation denied by oil-rich Gulf nations.
The attack this weekend happened three months after RSF Overran Zamzam Camp in the suburbs of El-Fasher. It is the largest displacement camp in the country, with many residents escaping El-Fashir or attempting to drive toward Tawila 60 kilometers (about 40 miles).
Ms VU, the NRC’s advocacy manager in Sudan, said Tavira’s team continued to hear horrible stories as people desperately tried to find safety.
“People walk away from donkeys at night – trying to escape armed men targeting them, maybe raping them,” she said.
“We are getting people to thirsty Tavila, who hasn’t eaten for weeks.”
Nearly 379,000 people are now fleeing to Tavira, facing a cholera outbreak, with heavy rains expected to damage temporary shelters.
This week, El-Fasher residents told the BBC Arabic-language emergency radio show more about their horrible situation.
One person said: “At the moment, we are suffering deeply and everyone around us is facing the same difficulties.”
“No bread, no food, no job. Even if you have money, there is nothing available in the market.
“When someone gets sick, we can’t find any medication or treatment.
“There is no medication in the hospital. It’s really bad here.”
Another said that until recently, residents had relied on something called “ombaz”, a waste of food left behind after pressure on peanut shells.
“We are in a very critical state,” he said.
“Even the ombaz is no longer available because the peanut factory has stopped working.
“We are calling for help – please, we need help in a desperate need.”
Ms. Vu lamented the indifference of the international community as she interacted with the warring parties and their supporters.
“The funding is completely reduced and the result is that you can see it on the ground,” she said.
“People (in El-Fasher) just rely on the unity of others.
“If they have a little food, they will share it among them.”
Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) said Believe that “reasonable reasons” for war crimes and crimes against humanity are being committed in Darfur.
The war crime charges have persisted over the past two years and it was determined in January 2025 that the RSF and allied militia had genocidalized the non-Arab population in the region.
