Clashes near El-Fasher, a relative haven in Darfur largely spared from the last 12 months of war in Sudan, have raised fears of a further expansion of the devastating conflict. Since fighting erupted last 15 April between Sudan’s army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the already war-ravaged western region of Darfur has been the site of horrific violence, including reports of mass ethnic-based killings. But North Darfur’s El-Fasher, the last state capital not under RSF control in the vast Darfur region, had been a site of comparative stability and a key humanitarian refuge. “Clashes have …