Sudan Nashra: RSF tightens siege around Fasher with trenches, military pushes to reclaim lost ground | Burhan moves to fill in gaps in transitional institutions | Egyptian companies begin reconstruction efforts in Khartoum | Deputy military chief orders combat forces out of Obeid

North Darfur’s Fasher remains the war’s fiercest battleground and the epicenter of Sudan’s humanitarian crisis, coming under daily artillery fire and being the site of relentless ground battles. The Rapid Support Forces has tightened its siege by digging three meter-deep trenches that completely seal the city’s entrances and exits. 

Military and government officials said the move is part of a phased strategy in place since July 2024, designed to force civilians out before taking control of the city, with the RSF now attempting to overrun the military’s camps from within.

To the south, the rival Tasis-led administration has taken its first tangible steps by swearing in its presidential council in Nyala earlier this week. The ceremony marked RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo’s first appearance in the city since the war began, along with that of his deputy on the council, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North leader Abdel Aziz al-Hilu. Hours later, the military’s air force bombed the area near the stage where they had spoken, along with several other RSF gatherings in Nyala. 

In Port Sudan, Transitional Sovereignty Council Chair and Sudanese Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan moved to fill in institutional gaps, appointing the head of the Constitutional Court, which had been dormant since the ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir. In addition, steps are underway to establish a transitional legislative council in Khartoum, a source in the TSC told Mada Masr.

Egypt made several appearances on the Sudan scene this week, with both countries renewing their rejection of Ethiopia’s unilateral measures on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) at a joint meeting in Cairo, stressing that no external party should interfere in the dispute. The Wednesday talks also covered Egypt’s role in Sudan’s reconstruction, coinciding with a visit by an Egyptian technical team to Khartoum to begin repair work on war-damaged bridges as the Sudanese government races to restore services and draw citizens back to the capital.

In North Kordofan’s Obeid, the military’s forward operational hub in the Kordofan and Darfur battles, Sudanese Armed Forces Deputy Commander-in-Chief Shams Eddin al-Kabbashi continued to take the hardline stance he’s vocalized at several points throughout the war, vowing that there will be no negotiations with the RSF. He also ordered combat forces withdrawn from Obeid, where mass stationing of fighters has fueled security chaos.

With Kabbashi saying that troops have been ordered to advance toward Darfur, a senior government official told Mada Masr that Sudan finalized arrangements to acquire advanced weaponry through a neighboring country, which the source said would shift the balance of operations in both the Kordofan and Darfur regions.

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Members of parallel govt sworn in, Hemedti appears in Nyala

RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo was sworn in on August 30 as head of the presidential council of the rival government formed in July in western Sudan, the RSF-led Tasis coalition announced.

The move comes despite broad regional and international rejection of a parallel administration in Sudan.

According to the coalition, the swearing-in ceremony was held in Nyala, South Darfur and presided over by Ramadan Ibrahim Shamaila, whom it described as chief justice, and attended by political and tribal leaders. 

Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North leader Abdel Aziz al-Hilu was sworn in as deputy head of the presidential council, while its 15 members — including regional governors — also took their oaths.

The following day, former Transitional Sovereignty Council member Mohamed Hassan al-Taaishy was sworn in as prime minister of the parallel government.

Hemedti and Hilu arrived together from Nairobi, where the transitional constitution was signed in March, a senior official in South Darfur’s RSF-affiliated civilian administration told Mada Masr. The official said the ceremony followed procedures laid out in said constitution.

Hemedti and Hilu later toured Nyala before the latter addressed residents alongside Taaishy and other members of the presidential council.

But an intelligence source told Mada Masr that the grand ceremony was much more cautious than it appeared. Hemedti avoided speaking publicly for fear of being targeted, according to the source, while Hilu appeared in the city on the same day the coalition released photos free of him accompanying Hemedti.

The source suggested that coalition leaders may try to project their presence in Nyala by convening in former government buildings, such as courthouses or ministries, though most have been destroyed by military airstrikes.

A senior RSF commander in South Darfur, however, dismissed doubts about the ceremony, insisting that the presidential council and its members were indeed sworn in and that both the RSF and the coalition were working to reestablish governance from designated facilities despite continued aerial bombardment of government sites.

On August 31, military drones struck central Nyala, according to a local notable, who said three sites were targeted, including the area near the stage where the coalition celebration was held.

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Burhan appoints constitutional court chief for first time since Bashir’s ouster

For the first time since the ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir in 2019, TSC Chair Abdel Fattah al-Burhan appointed a new head to Sudan’s long-dormant Constitutional Court. 

Wahby Mohamed Mokhtar was sworn in on Tuesday as court president in a ceremony at the TSC’s secretariat in Port Sudan, attended by a representative of the judiciary chief and TSC Secretary General Mohamed al-Ghaly.

Officials stressed the court’s importance during the renewed 39-month transitional period announced earlier this year.

In his first statement after taking the oath, Mokhtar described the Constitutional Court as the supreme guarantor of rights and freedoms. He said the court’s mandate includes adjudicating constitutional disputes to safeguard the principles of the constitutional charter, as well as monitoring the legislative, executive and judicial branches to ensure balance in the exercise of power and uphold the rule of law.

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Steps to form Transitional Legislative Council

Efforts are picking up pace in Khartoum to establish a transitional legislative council to fill the vacuum in Sudan’s transitional institutions, a TSC source told Mada Masr.

In February, the temporary legislative authority — made up of the TSC and the Cabinet — approved amendments to the 2019 constitutional charter mandating the creation of the Transitional Legislative Council.

Under the revised charter, the new body will function as an independent legislative authority representing the parties to the peace process as well as other national forces, with seats capped at 300.

The council’s powers include drafting and passing laws, overseeing and holding the Cabinet to account, and initiating no confidence procedures against the prime minister or individual ministers. It will also be responsible for approving the state budget, ratifying bilateral, regional and international agreements and treaties, passing legislation regulating its own operations, authorizing declarations of war and states of emergency and recommending the dismissal of the prime minister.

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Egyptian delegation arrives in Khartoum to begin bridge repairs

A technical delegation from Egypt arrived in Khartoum on Tuesday to begin repair work on key bridges damaged by the war, marking the first tangible step in Egypt’s reconstruction efforts in Sudan.

The initial phase focuses on Halfaya and Shambat — critical bridges linking different parts of the capital. Composed of road and bridge specialists, the delegation has already begun on-site inspections to assess damage and draft a technical repair plan.

The initiative, carried out in coordination with Sudanese authorities, is aimed at restoring critical infrastructure disrupted by two years of war in the capital. Sudanese officials welcomed the move as timely support from Cairo at a critical moment and said that it could open the door to broader cooperation on future projects in transportation, railway and port development.

The effort also signals Khartoum’s growing push for regional partnerships to rebuild war-damaged infrastructure, amid pressure to restore essential services and draw displaced residents back to the capital.

On Wednesday, Burhan met with Egyptian Ambassador to Sudan Hany Salah at the presidential palace in Port Sudan. During the meeting, Burhan accepted an invitation from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to visit Cairo, a TSC told Mada Masr. Burhan praised Egypt’s role, particularly in strategic sectors such as agriculture and mining, and stressed Sudan’s interest in drawing on Egyptian expertise through training and infrastructure development.

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Sudan, Egypt denounce Ethiopia’s moves on GERD in joint talks in Cairo

Sudan and Egypt condemned Ethiopia’s unilateral actions regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) during 2+2 talks held on Wednesday in Cairo between the foreign and irrigation ministers of both countries.

In a joint statement, the two sides reiterated that the dam poses a threat to their water security. The meeting marked the second round of 2+2 discussions, following the first in February.

The talks came as Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that Addis Ababa seeks cooperation with Sudan and Egypt on the project. He maintained that the dam, now completed, ensures year-round water flow to downstream countries, prevents flooding and has caused no harm.

But Cairo and Khartoum maintain that no filling or operation of the dam should proceed without a binding tripartite legal agreement — a demand Ethiopia rejects, arguing it has no intention of harming its neighbors. Negotiations, launched in 2011 when construction began, have repeatedly faltered — they were suspended for three years before resuming in 2023, only to collapse again in 2024.

A Sudanese Foreign Ministry official told Mada Masr that the meeting underscored the indivisibility of Sudanese and Egyptian water security. Sudan conveyed to Egypt its categorical rejection of unilateral moves on the Nile basin that could harm both countries.

A senior Irrigation Ministry source in Khartoum added that steps are underway to chart a clear path to resolving the crisis and to prevent threats, particularly in the operation of Sudan’s dams. This includes more comprehensive studies on Nile water volumes and levels throughout the year, they said.

Sudan and Egypt agreed that Ethiopia’s approach violates international law and carries grave consequences for downstream states, constituting a continuing threat to stability in the eastern Nile Basin, according to the source.

The issue, the source stressed, concerns only Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia, and does not brook outside interference. Attempts by Addis Ababa to turn the dispute into an international or continental matter are “unacceptable,” the source said, adding that Sudan and Egypt will only engage with relevant international institutions involving the three states.

The 2+2 talks also addressed postwar reconstruction in Sudan and Egypt’s role in it, according to the joint statement.

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Military pushes to reclaim lost ground in Fasher; RSF, military trade strikes across Darfur

In North Darfur, clashes reignited on Sunday night on Fasher’s southern front after the military launched a surprise offensive against RSF positions in both the south and north, aiming to retake ground lost the previous week, a military source told Mada Masr.

The military recaptured strategically important buildings that could impede further RSF advances, with drones and heavy artillery backing the operation, according to the source.

The push followed RSF advances last week that saw the paramilitary shell areas near the city center before moving in, an RSF source told Mada Masr at the time.

Fighting continued into Monday, when the allied armed movements’ joint force repelled an RSF assault in the northern sector, a source in the force told Mada Masr. The joint force is ready to expand operations to reclaim the entire city, according to the source.

On Thursday, RSF units attacked the military’s air defense base in Fasher, but a military source said the attack was repelled, leaving dozens of RSF fighters killed or wounded and several combat vehicles destroyed.

Recent RSF operations have concentrated on the southern axis, which hosts key military camps, including the Armored Corps and the Air Defense Brigade, as well as Fasher’s main airport. Elsewhere, RSF activity has been limited to skirmishes. By contrast, the military and its allied forces remain heavily concentrated in the western neighborhoods, considered the safest in Fasher.

The toll on civilians continues to mount. RSF artillery on Thursday struck the Saudi Maternity Hospital, a medical source said.

The Sudan Doctors Network warned that Fasher faces a dire humanitarian crisis, citing acute shortages of medicine, a lack of medical staff and the collapse of health services. Patient and casualty numbers are rising even as hospitals are damaged or forced out of service. Hunger, it said, “is besieging thousands of citizens.”

Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi, returning to Port Sudan on Thursday from a tour of European and African countries, said he had sought international support to break the siege of Fasher and save its population from hunger, disease and suffering. 

“Our battle is not political as much as it is humanitarian and national,” Minnawi said. “We will spare no effort until citizens secure their right to a dignified life.”

Beyond Fasher, fighting continues across Darfur. Military drones struck RSF positions in Kutum and Malit in North Darfur on Tuesday and Wednesday, an official in North Darfur told Mada Masr. 

In South Darfur’s capital, Nyala, two military sources said that the Sudanese Armed Forces carried out airstrikes on RSF gatherings shortly after the Tasis-led rival government swore in its presidential council in the city on Saturday and Sunday.

The RSF, for its part, said on Thursday that it shot down an Akinci drone over the Mirshing area in South Darfur. In a statement, the paramilitary group said that its forces were fully prepared to confront any infiltration attempts by the military. 

“We will not allow any threat to the safety of the nation or the lives of innocent people,” the RSF said.

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RSF cuts off Fasher’s roads with 3-meter trenches

The RSF have dug a network of three-meter-deep trenches across roads around the besieged city of Fasher in North Darfur, cutting it off from Malit, Tawila and Nyala.

The tactic is part of a broader strategy aimed at taking control of the city from the military and driving out its civilian population.

A resident who left Fasher in August told Mada Masr that the trenches, begun in late April and early May, are up to five meters wide, with the excavated earth piled into berms. They now cut off roads to the south, west and north, closing the last routes outside RSF control or where clashes with the military persist.

The RSF has installed gates along the trenches — one on the road to Tawila in the west, another on the Nyala road in the south and a third one on the Malit road to the north. These, along with RSF positions along the eastern perimeter, are under the paramilitary’s control. The trenches, the resident said, prevent the military and allied joint force from moving vehicles into contested zones or exiting the city.

Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab said last week that satellite imagery shows 31 kilometers of earth berms around Fasher, including nine built in recent weeks along the eastern perimeter and the main road leading out of the city’s east. According to the report, the only areas not yet fully encircled are to the southwest, south and the northeastern edges. Construction, it added, is still ongoing. The lab described the RSF’s fortifications as creating a “literal kill box” around the city.

A military officer said they are aware of the RSF’s trench work but stressed it would not stop military operations. He declined to share details of the military’s strategy, saying only that movements are based on pre-determined plans.

The officer described the RSF strategy as creating a “security zone” around Fasher, combining scorched-earth and “isolated islands” tactics. Areas still under military control are surrounded, devastated and eventually seized — as happened with Zamzam camp in April, when the RSF cut it off from Fasher before capturing it. The same approach, he warned, is now being applied to the city itself.

The officer argued that the RSF’s goal is not only to capture Fasher but to empty it of civilians, leaving no one for the military to protect. He pointed to a pattern of shelling infrastructure, isolating neighborhoods and planting mines around emptied areas — tactics that force people out and prevent their return, concentrating the displaced into overcrowded pockets.

Fasher has already endured three major operations targeting population distribution since July 2024, the officer said. First, RSF artillery pounded the eastern neighborhoods, especially near the Armored Corps camp. Then, from late 2024, displacement sites and public facilities — schools, mosques, markets, hospitals and clinics — were hit, knocking many health facilities out of service. The third phase began in April 2025 with the trench works that now encircle the city, and the isolation of peripheral neighborhoods with the aim of turning them into military zones.

A source in the Sixth Infantry Division said that RSF assaults are likely to escalate, shifting toward partial control of the city. Instead of storming from outside, the RSF, they said, is attempting to move east to west in “leaps,” securing residential blocs while launching surprise attacks to establish defensive lines within the city, ultimately reaching the military’s camps in the southwest.

The military has responded with heavy airstrikes on the city’s outskirts and its eastern and southern areas, enabling the joint force to mount counteroffensives that destroyed some RSF defenses, according to the Sixth Infantry Division source. 

Fasher has now become the war’s fiercest frontline since the battles west of Obeid in mid-July, with one major RSF assault coming after another over the past month. To consolidate control, the RSF has barred humanitarian aid from reaching the city, rejecting humanitarian ceasefire proposals. 

The RSF, a source in the TSC said, views humanitarian access as a lever of power — using military strategies to control relief flows and force recognition of its authority.

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Sudanese Armed Forces deputy chief orders all units out of Obeid, pledges military resolution

In his first visit to North Kordofan’s capital since the war began, TSC member and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces Shams Eddin al-Kabbashi ordered the withdrawal of all military forces from Obeid, leaving only the police to handle security duties.

The move follows mounting security chaos in Obeid, where tens of thousands of military and allied fighters are stationed, severely affecting daily life for residents.

The city has become a forward operating center for the military’s campaigns in Kordofan and Darfur after its siege was lifted in February, reconnecting it to military-controlled central Sudan. Since then, fighters have poured in from Khartoum and White Nile to join the battles. This triggered widespread security breakdowns with troops openly carrying weapons in markets and residential neighborhoods.

Three residents of Obeid told Mada Masr that the military’s presence has led to a rise in random gunfire incidents in the streets.

Fighters also took over 52 schools, using them as military barracks, an official in North Kordofan’s Education Ministry said. With the new school year beginning in early September, it became necessary to remove the troops, he said.

Kabbashi stressed that the decision was not his alone but one taken by the TSC, already implemented in Khartoum and other parts of the country. The aim, he said, was to confine fighters to military camps.

In his address to government officials, military officers and community leaders, Kabbashi vowed that the military would break the siege of Fasher and recapture all of Darfur, adding that orders had already been issued for troops to advance.

In preparation, a senior government official told Mada Masr that Sudan has finalized arrangements to acquire advanced weaponry, including fighter aircraft and advanced military equipment, from a neighboring country, which the source did not disclose. The official said the new weaponry would shift the balance of operations in both Kordofan and Darfur.

“There will be no negotiations with the RSF,” Kabbashi said during his Wednesday visit, dismissing rumors of talks with the RSF or of a ceasefire as “empty words.” The military, he said, “will pursue its battle to the end, without compromise on the nation’s unity and sovereignty.”

A senior TSC official stressed that Kabbashi’s remarks do not contradict the state’s diplomatic efforts to end the war, adding that all measures taken by either the military or the government are ultimately directed toward that goal.

A senior Sudanese delegation had held unannounced talks with US officials in Zurich, Switzerland, in mid-August to discuss crafting a roadmap to end the war and the government’s conditions for entering negotiations.