Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has announced the withdrawal of government troops from their last remaining stronghold in Darfur.

Al-Burhan made the announcement yesterday, a day after the  Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claimed to have captured the main Sudanese army base in el-Fasher. The army’s retreat leaves over 250,000 civilians under RSF control. The fall of el-Fasher could deepen the fragmentation of Sudan. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has described the developments as a terrible escalation in the conflict.