Significant military reinforcements have arrived in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, a spokesperson for the joint force of armed groups aligned with the Sudanese army said on Sunday.

The reinforcements from the northern desert regions come amid intensified clashes with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Last week, heavy fighting occurred between the joint force and the RSF in the areas of Sayah, Madu, and Taqabu, north of El Fasher. Both sides claimed gains.

“El Fasher has received large military reinforcements from the northern axis of North Darfur state,” Ahmed Hussein Mustafa, the spokesperson for the joint force, told Sudan Tribune. He added that their forces clashed with the RSF in the northern part of the city early Sunday, forcing them to retreat towards Mellit.

Videos circulating online, purportedly from supporters of the joint force, showed the arrival of the reinforcements being welcomed by residents. A statement from the Justice and Equality Movement, one of the armed groups in the joint force, confirmed that the reinforcements linked up with other forces arriving from the north.

El Fasher has been under a tight RSF siege since April. In May, the RSF launched an offensive to capture the city, a key government stronghold in Darfur. The offensive slowed after the death of its commander, Ali Yaqoub, in June, but fighting escalated again in September and October, causing civilian casualties.

The Abu Shouk camp for displaced people, home to some 400,000, has been repeatedly targeted by RSF shelling, according to a statement from the camp’s emergency room. The shelling has resulted in deaths and injuries, forcing over 60% of the camp’s residents to flee to Tawila, west of El Fasher, and other areas in Jebel Marra.