How El Fasher Became a Thorn in Tom Perriello’s Side

Sudanhorizon – Azmi Abdelrazek

The latest statement by the U.S. envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, regarding El Fasher was far from innocent. You can almost smell the scent of war propaganda in favour of the rebellion, especially in Perriello’s remark that “the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are preparing to launch a new attack on the city of El Fasher while the army continues its shelling.” The U.S. envoy, in a tweet on Platform X, called on what he referred to as the “two warring parties” to refrain from escalation.
Lifting the Siege on El Fasher
However, the son of a paediatrician and Italian immigrant (Vito Anthony) ignored an important fact: last June, the UN Security Council issued a resolution demanding that the RSF lift the siege on El Fasher, a resolution that these praised forces—commended for their cooperation—have yet to comply with. Meanwhile, the voices of the “Uncle Sam’s children,” who should have pressured the RSF to respect international resolutions, gradually faded away as the sound of the 40-barrel rocket launcher and the roar of the cannons grew louder, documenting the endurance and patience of the steadfast city.
What is most perplexing is that the World Food Programme (WFP) classifies El Fasher as less in need of aid compared to the RSF-controlled areas in West Darfur, where more than 200 tons of food aid were sent through the Adré corridor as a first batch—despite the fact that El Fasher, home to around 1.8 million people, shelters displacement camps and is in dire need of assistance, especially since many Darfurians fleeing Janjaweed crimes in other states have sought refuge there.
One of those convoys was quickly looted by rebel forces. Yet, U.S. envoy Tom Perriello continues to urge the “two warring parties” to refrain from escalation and allow aid to reach civilians, as if the civilians in El Fasher have no share of food nor any rights under human rights organizations, including their most fundamental right—the right to life!
The scenario of an “Alpine Alliance” to bring down the last resilient strongholds in Darfur, a scenario partially revealed—intentionally or perhaps unintentionally—by Tom Perriello, is like the tip of an iceberg. He raises many questions and stormy concerns when he talks about an imminent attack on El Fasher. How did he know of this plan, and why is he not trying to stop it? Instead, he warns against the army’s and joint forces’ natural response! These forces have been in a constant state of defence, performing their duty, sanctioned by international laws and divine religions, to repel aggression against themselves and their people.

Your Wishes Are Commands
The phrase “urged both sides to stop the shelling,” uttered by Perriello, left the astute Dr Taj Al-Din Niam in bewilderment. He wondered how the American envoy could confirm the militia and mercenary mobilisation to launch an attack on El Fasher without demanding they stop. His “requests are orders ” for the militias.” Yet, the envoy equates the criminal with the victim. If he intended to intimidate the army, the joint forces, and the mobilised civilians, then, as Niam put it, “the stars are closer.”
The capital of North Darfur State, El Fasher, has endured 130 attacks by the militias, with their forces breaking against its walls. According to Major Ahmed Hussein, spokesperson for the joint forces, the resilience of El Fasher is due to its residents perceiving the ongoing events as an invasion by foreign forces rather than just a civil war between Sudanese.
Ahmed Hussein recalls numerous instances, such as the death of Mahdi Bashir, leader of the Chadian FACT front, in the recent battle and the demise of the Chadian Idriss Barkawi in the Wadi Ambar battles, along with thousands of mercenaries from Libya and Niger. This has strengthened the resolve of the heroes and citizens of El Fasher, a city with a long history of heroism and resistance.
The Death of Ali Yacoub
For Abdulaziz Ashar, advisor to the Justice and Equality Movement leader, the joint forces possess high combat efficiency and military capabilities that surpass the militias. This is the dilemma facing the Rapid Support Forces’ command in their ongoing attempts to take control of El Fasher. This city has seen thousands of mercenaries perish at its gates. There’s no need to remind us of the death of Rapid Support Forces commander Ali Yacoub on the outskirts of El Fasher. His dramatic death during the assault obscured the vision of those plotting to control all of Darfur’s territory. It deprived the militias of one of their most fervent and effective leaders on the Western front.
The Grand Bargain
“We will not trade Khartoum for El Fasher.” The fluctuating weather in Port Sudan allowed this significant statement by the Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, to pass without much attention. Despite its importance, it wasn’t given the scrutiny it deserved, like gold miners sifting through the hills of Jebel Amer and the Red Sea. The bargain, which most people are unaware of, implicitly involves a trade-off—Khartoum for the army in exchange for El Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces. This would give them control over approximately 493,180 square kilometres of Sudanese territory. However, the army leader’s confirmation and the circumstances have revealed the failure of this deal, emphasising that Sudanese soil is indivisible, a principle firmly upheld by the armed forces.

Perriello: A Deceptive Figure
Tom Perriello’s stance on Darfur is filled with unpleasant surprises, and his occasional urgency, perhaps to place the fruits of his mission on the Democratic Party’s table before the elections, raises many concerns. His contradictory positions—once opposing and now supporting the right to abortion, as well as his opposition to banning assault weapons for Americans—highlight a sharp deviation from the Democratic Party’s line, according to American journalist Mark Joseph.
His experiences behind the Capitol walls reveal a man who is not what he appears to be, as described by an American newspaper during his congressional campaign: “He operates within a political gang whose fake personas shine like a beacon in the fog.” Furthermore, he is part of a group that Dr. ‘Ashaari Mahmoud termed the “Janjaweed of the American Empire,” tasked with fuelling the fires of war.
Perriello has spent much of his time working abroad, serving as the Executive Director of the Open Society Foundations and later as Deputy Prosecutor for the Special Court for Sierra Leone. He also worked as a National Security Advisor in Kosovo and Darfur and twice in Afghanistan for the International Centre for Transitional Justice. In February 2024, he was appointed as the U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, a mission in which he spent about seven months leading to the flawed Geneva negotiations. It’s also worth noting that Tom Perriello—the lawyer and American diplomat—has returned to support women’s right to abortion.