Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers fled a key city in the hours before the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured its infantry division - leaving around 200,000 civilians trapped, Sky News understands.

The SAF withdrew from military positions in the heart of Al Fashir, the capital of North Darfur, and the symbolic site was captured by the RSF with no resistance .

Insiders told Sky News that the army struck a deal to facilitate safe passage for their soldiers.

Remaining fighters, many of them local resistance forces from Al Fashir, withdrew to the western neighbourhood Daraja Oula, where civilians have been seeking refuge from intensified RSF shelling and drone attacks in recent months.

Image: Propaganda videos have shown RSF troops waving rifles in the air in Al

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