Escalating Conflict: Sudanese army, RSF clash in Khartoum, El-Obeid, Zalingei
September 17, 2023 (KHARTOUM)- The Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) pounded each other with rockets and artillery in various areas of the capital, Khartoum, for the second consecutive day, while clashes flared up in El Obeid the capital of North Kordofan State, and in Zalingei of Central Darfur State.
The RSF attacked the army’s headquarters in Khartoum on Sunday, following a significant assault on the military site the previous day, Saturday. Witnesses near the army general command reported hearing powerful explosions and observed smoke billowing into the sky.
Massive fires have engulfed vital government buildings, including the Ministry of Justice, the Tax Office, the Standards, Metrology, and Quality Organization, and the Nile Petroleum Company, all located in the heart of Khartoum.
The Sudanese army responded with heavy artillery fire targeting RSF positions in Khartoum, Khartoum Bahri, and south Omdurman. Additionally, army drones carried out strikes on RSF positions in the Riyadh, Al-Mamoura, and Al-Jarif neighbourhoods situated west and east of the Sudanese capital.
In a statement on Sunday, the RSF accused the army’s air force of intentionally bombing government facilities in Khartoum. Also, the paramilitary forces accused the Air Force of deliberate airstrikes on populated areas and markets, employing explosive barrels across different locations.
In a press release, Sudanese Army Spokesman Brigadier General Nabil Abdallah said that the “disbanded militia” continued to engage in sabotage, systematically destroying the country’s infrastructure and facilities.
Abdallah said that the RSF had set ablaze the Nile Petroleum Company’s buildings, the Ministry of Justice tower, and the Standards Organization tower. He added that the paramilitary troops had looted and incinerated the Khartoum Sahel and Sahara Bank tower.
The ongoing conflict in Khartoum has destroyed critical government ministries and public facilities; in addition to widespread looting of banks and shops. Millions of the capital’s residents have been displaced to various Sudanese regions and abroad. Accusations of grave human rights violations and war crimes have been levelled against the RSF.
In El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, sources informed Sudan Tribune that army forces mounted an assault on the RSF, inflicting losses on its forces stationed outside the city on its southern side. The RSF retaliated by shelling mortar shells at the army positions in western El-Obeid, resulting in civilian casualties.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in mid-April 2023 in Khartoum but swiftly expanded its scope to encompass multiple areas in Darfur and Kordofan.
Furthermore, the RSF resumed their attacks on the army’s command in Zalingei, the capital of Central Darfur State, bombarding the military garrison with heavy artillery fire.
Ground skirmishes unfolded between the two warring parties in and around the IDPs Al-Hasahissa camp, featuring the use of heavy weaponry.
A military source said that the army had wrested control of the Al-Hasahissa camp, forcing the RSF to vacate the premises they had occupied in recent months and transformed it into a military garrison.
“The army has fully reclaimed Al-Hasahissa camp, dismantling all the RSF outposts established there,” the source added.
(ST)