ibrahim Konate in Sudan
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of Sudan announced that they had taken control of the heavily armed police unit’s headquarters on Sunday, in their ongoing conflict with the army in the capital, Khartoum.
The RSF announced that they have gained complete control over a camp owned by the Central Reserve Police in southern Khartoum. They also provided video evidence of their fighters present at the site, with some seen removing ammunition boxes from a warehouse.
The verification of the footage or the RSF statement was not immediately possible for NGO Africa Watch. The army or police did not provide an immediate response or statement.
On Saturday, there has been a notable increase in combat in the three main cities of the capital – Khartoum, Bahri, and Omdurman. This escalation is a result of the ongoing conflict between the army and the RSF which has been going on for the past 11 weeks.
According to witnesses, there has been a significant surge in violence in Nyala, the largest city in western Darfur, in the past few days. The United Nations. Alarm bells were sounded on Saturday regarding the targeting based on ethnicity and the unfortunate loss of lives within the Masalit community in El Geneina, situated in West Darfur.
The cities of Khartoum and El Geneina have experienced the most severe impact from the war. However, in recent times, other areas of Darfur and the southern region of Kordofan have also witnessed increased tensions and conflicts escalating.
Violence has escalated following a series of unsuccessful attempts to maintain peace through cease-fire agreements mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia in Jeddah The discussions were put on hold the previous week.
The army has recently appointed the Central Reserve Police to engage in combat missions on the ground. In various areas, it had been utilized as a military unit and deployed to suppress protesters protesting the 2021 coup.
Last year, the United States, which was alleged to have employed disproportionate force against demonstrators, authorized the sanctioning.
The capital is witnessing airstrikes and heavy artillery being employed by the army, under the leadership of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in an attempt to remove Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) and the RSF from various neighborhoods.
Witnesses in Nyala, a city that experienced rapid growth due to the displacement of people during the conflict in Darfur after 2003, have recently observed a concerning decline in security. There have been reports of intense clashes in residential areas.
“Today I left Nyala because of the war. Yesterday there was bombardment in the streets and bullets going into homes,” Saleh Haroun, a 38-year-old resident of the city, told NGO Africa Watch
Last week, there were conflicts in El Fashir, the main city of North Darfur, between the army and the RSF, causing tensions. The United Nations was also involved in the situation. According to the statement, the area is not accessible to aid workers.
In the city of El Geneina, there has been a severe lack of communication networks and aid supplies in the past few weeks. As a result, Arab militias and the RSF have launched attacks, leading to the displacement of tens of thousands of people who have sought refuge in Chad.
The United Nations will hold a meeting on Saturday. Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for Human Rights, appealed for the unhindered passage of individuals seeking refuge from El Geneina and the allowance of aid workers to provide assistance. This call came after reports of extrajudicial killings in the area between the city and the border, as well as the alarming prevalence of ongoing hate speech inciting violence, including calls to either eliminate the Masalit people or forcibly remove them.
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