Sudanese army repels drone attack in El Fasher

November 7, 2024 ( EL FASHER) – The Sudanese army on Thursday shot down a swarm of drones deployed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeting neighbourhoods in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. The attack, coupled with intense artillery exchanges between the warring factions, resulted in a number of civilian casualties.

Since April, the RSF has maintained a stranglehold on El Fasher, the largest city in the Darfur region. In May, the paramilitary force launched a major offensive aimed at seizing the city, the last bastion of government control in Darfur. However, the army and allied militias successfully repelled these advances and were determined to defend the city.

The protracted conflict in El Fasher has led to significant civilian deaths and the displacement of over half a million people who have sought refuge in Jebel Marra and other areas of northern Sudan.

Military sources informed Sudan Tribune that the RSF launched the drones over the southern, western, and northern sectors of El Fasher, including the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division. The army and allied forces intercepted and destroyed seven of the drones.

According to the sources, some of the drones were used for reconnaissance purposes, while others were armed and attempted to strike army and allied positions in the southeastern part of the city.

The RSF also unleashed a barrage of heavy artillery fire from their positions east of El Fasher, inflicting numerous casualties in the city’s livestock market and surrounding neighbourhoods.

The army retaliated with artillery strikes from its base west of El Fasher, targeting suspected RSF positions. Loud explosions and rising smoke were reported.

An army helicopter circled El Fasher for an extended period before conducting airstrikes against moving RSF targets in the Al-Kifah and Al-Jail districts in the east of El Fasher.

A large RSF contingent, supported by armoured vehicles, pushed into the Al-Kifah and Al-Jail neighbourhoods near El Fasher’s main market, clashing fiercely with allied forces and local resistance fighters. With air support, the army’s allies ultimately forced the RSF to retreat to the eastern outskirts of the city.

Pro-government social media accounts circulated videos depicting the army’s allied fighters conducting search operations in neighbourhoods east of the main market.

Since late last year, the RSF has gained control of four of Darfur’s five states. El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, remains the sole remaining government stronghold in the region.