Fighting intensifies in El Fasher as Sudanese army airdrops supplies,
El Fasher, 5 June 2024 – Clashes reignited in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, on Wednesday, causing civilian casualties. Simultaneously, the Sudanese army conducted an airdrop of military equipment to fortify the city’s defences against the besieging Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The largest city in the Darfur region, El Fasher has endured over three weeks of intense fighting between the Sudanese army, allied armed movements, and the RSF. These clashes have resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries, along with widespread infrastructural damage.
In response, the Sudanese army’s air force executed an airdrop on Wednesday to reinforce the 6th Infantry Division, providing them with military equipment to strengthen their position against the RSF.
Meanwhile, intermittent clashes using heavy weaponry resumed between the army, its allied armed movements, and the RSF within the city.
The joint force of the armed struggle movements, fighting alongside the Sudanese army, stated that they pursued RSF forces on the northern axis of El Fasher Wednesday morning. They released video footage showing their forces and army forces in the main market, denying RSF claims of reaching the market area or the western part of the city.
In retaliation, the RSF launched heavy artillery shelling on the southern side of El Fasher.
The Coordination of El Fasher Resistance Committees reported that the RSF’s artillery fire, originating from within the city, targeted residential areas near the army headquarters, the main market, and southeastern neighbourhoods. This shelling resulted in civilian deaths and injuries, including the death of the Scout official in North Darfur state.
The Coordination confirmed that plumes of smoke filled El Fasher’s sky due to the indiscriminate and widespread bombardment by the RSF.