Rapid Support Forces seize Sudanese army base in Central Darfur
October 31, 2023 (KHARTOUM) -The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group operating in Sudan, announced on Tuesday morning they captured the command of the Sudanese army’s 21st Infantry Division stationed in Zalingei, the capital of Central Darfur state.
The announcement was delivered through two video releases. The initial video, aired at 2:00 a.m. local time, featured RSF regional commander Major General Ali Yaqoub confirming complete control over the division and the capture of 50 officers, including the division’s commanding officer. The second video, broadcast after sunrise, affirmed the RSF’s firm grip on the military facility.
The RSF initiated their assault on Zalingei on Monday morning, from several directions. They also directed artillery shelling towards the army’s central headquarters.
The seizure of Zalingei follows the RSF’s recent control of the army’s 16th Infantry Division headquarters in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur.
Sudanese army units in Darfur are grappling with critical shortages in military supplies due to an RSF-imposed siege. Additionally, the army general command has failed to provide sufficient aerial coverage to thwart the RSF’s advances.
On the other hand, the RSF has reported that 560 soldiers of the Sudanese army’s 20th Division in El Daein, the capital of East Darfur State, have announced their joining of the RSF.
Eyewitnesses told Sudan Tribune that the command of the 21st Infantry Division was overrun after the arrival of RSF substantial reinforcements on Sunday. headed. The second-in-command of the RSF, Abdel Rahim Dagalo led these additional troops which were dispatched from South Darfur state.
They further said that the RSF employed drones, for the first time, to launch intensive aerial bombardments on the army command and its vicinity on Monday. This relentless drone assault compelled the army to withdraw to its previously established fortified positions, near the “Al-Hasahisa” camp for displaced individuals.
With the fall of West, South, and Central Darfur, the army retains a presence solely in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and El Daein, the capital of East Darfur.
While clashes have resurged in El Fasher recently, El Daein has remained unscathed by confrontations between the army and the RSF since the outbreak of hostilities in mid-April. This exceptional calm is likely attributed to the persuasive efforts of the local Arab tribal leaders, who have convinced the RSF not to target the predominantly indigenous army force.
(ST)