Sudanese army evacuates Nyala neighborhoods as fighting continues

April 17, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese army has evacuated residents of several neighbourhoods in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took control of military sites near the command centre of the 16th Infantry Division.

Since yesterday, the South Darfur capital has witnessed violent clashes between the army and the RSF, in which heavy weapons were used. The battles centred around the military headquarters of both sides, in addition to Nyala International Airport, which was controlled by the RSF.

A statement issued by the Coordination of the Resistance Committees of the city of Nyala and received by Sudan Tribune said that “the army asked residents of most neighbourhoods in the city centre to leave their areas for safe alternative locations.”

In addition, residents of Nyala who spoke to Sudan Tribune claimed that their neighbourhoods were subjected to widespread looting, in addition to the shops in the Mawqif al-Jeneina and al-Maljah market as well as the headquarters of a number of international organizations operating in the state, including UNICEF and the UNHCR.

In the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, Mustafa Suleiman, a paramedic who works at El Fasher Teaching Hospital, told Sudan Tribune that the hospital received more than 50 people who were seriously injured as a result of the clashes.

Suleiman revealed a shortage of medical supplies and medical personnel.

“We received calls about dead bodies dumped on the roads and injured people who could not reach the hospital for treatment due to the closure of the roads by the armed forces of the army and Rapid Support,” he said.

(ST)