Sudanese army confirms “crushing” Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher

Sudan – The Sudanese army announced that it repelled an attack launched by the Rapid Support Forces yesterday, Saturday, on the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, after hours of violent fighting between the two parties.

Local sources told Al Jazeera that Al Fasher witnessed the most violent battles yesterday, Saturday, which lasted for 9 hours, against the backdrop of an attack launched by the Rapid Support Forces on the city from 3 directions.

The sources added that the Sudanese army’s aviation launched a series of raids on the Rapid Support Forces’ sites northeast of the city of El Fasher.

The Sudanese army said it repelled a major attack by the Rapid Support Forces on the city of El Fasher.

The spokesman for the Sudanese Armed Forces, Brigadier General Nabil Abdullah, said in a statement: “Our forces, thank God, today crushed a major attack by the terrorist Al-Dagalo militia on the city of Al-Fasher,” according to his expression.

In turn, the joint force of armed factions loyal to the army said that it had confronted what it described as a treacherous attack by the Rapid Support Forces, and was able to inflict heavy losses on it.

The Coordination of Resistance Committees in Al Fasher said on Facebook, “The clashes have stopped relatively, and the artillery shelling by the Rapid Support Forces militias continues, towards markets, hospitals and citizens’ homes, and there is news of injuries and wounded among citizens, and they are currently being counted.”

For its part, the Sudan Liberation Movement, which is fighting alongside the army, reported that the Rapid Support Forces attempted to invade El Fasher from all directions – north, east, west and south – after mobilizing thousands of armed men.

The movement said in a statement that the attack on the city began at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday (04:00 GMT) with artillery shelling and the entry of infantry on the ground, and continued for 6 hours.

He added, “Our forces taught the Rapid Support Forces lessons in combat, killed hundreds of them, and defeated the attacking forces.”

Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minawi said that the joint forces allied with the army yesterday defeated what he called the Rapid Support Militia in the city of El Fasher.

He added in a post on his account on the X platform that the Rapid Support Forces kill children and women and commit massacres against civilians.

In contrast, Omran Abdullah, advisor to the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, said that their forces had made great progress in military operations, and that “Al-Fasher is on the verge of complete liberation, and the coming hours are full of surprises.”

The spokesman added that 14 soldiers from the Sixth Division surrendered themselves on Saturday morning to the Rapid Support Intelligence, “in a sign of the imminent collapse” of the army in North Darfur, he said.

In turn, the Al Fasher Resistance Committees (volunteers) issued an urgent appeal for blood donations due to the increasing number of injuries among citizens in the Saudi hospital.

It is noteworthy that since May 10, violent clashes have been taking place between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher.

Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been witnessing a deadly conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 16,000 people.

An estimated 10.7 million people are internally displaced in Sudan, with another 2.2 million seeking refuge in neighbouring countries, according to the latest UN data.

Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies