Sudanese army general killed in RSF artillery attack
October 15, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – A Sudanese army general was killed on Sunday during an artillery bombardment conducted by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) aimed at the Armoured Corps headquarters south of Khartoum.
The commander of the 17th Infantry Division in Sennar State, central Sudan, Major General Ayoub Abdel Qader, was among those killed during the intense artillery shelling by the RSF on the Armored corps early on Sunday.
During recent weeks, The RSF have been launching heavy artillery shells towards the headquarters of the Army General Command and the Armored Corps. Direct ground attacks have decreased following the failure of consecutive attempts in recent months.
General Abdel Qader gained prominence in the ongoing conflict after leading a military brigade last May composed of troops from the states of Sennar and Blue Nile, which he named the “Lions of the Blue Nile Mobile Brigade.” After fierce battles near the Taiba camp of the Rapid Support Forces, situated ten kilometres from the army camp, he managed to reach the Armored Corps headquarters.
During the assaults on the Armored Corps last August, the Corps successfully repelled more than ten RSF attacks. Ayoub also appeared in several video clips, threatening the paramilitary forces with crushing defeat.
In a video released by the Sudanese army, soldiers confirmed the demise of the General. They asserted that his death would not deter their determination and that many other generals were fighting alongside them. The military claimed to have eliminated over 60 RSF troops in clashes that occurred on Sunday without providing further details.
The army spokesman did not issue an official statement about his death.
Abdelkader, originally from the Nile River State in northern Sudan, enrolled in the Military College in 1989 as part of the 40th batch. He served in various Sudanese states, including North Darfur and South Sudan, before the latter’s secession.
(ST)