Sudan army downs seven RSF drones in El Fasher as fighting rages

November 13, 2024 (EL FASHER) – The Sudanese army said on Wednesday it had shot down seven drones launched by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) towards army and joint force positions in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, as fighting between the warring sides intensified.

The army and its allies from various armed movements have been battling the RSF and allied militias in El Fasher in recent days, with both sides using heavy weaponry and forcing civilians to flee.

“The armed forces, joint forces, and reservists continued their victories in El Fasher and shot down seven combat drones, and destroyed groups of militias that tried to infiltrate deep into El Fasher,” Asia Al-Khalifa, media official at the Sixth Infantry Division Command, said in a video posted on the army’s pages on social media.

Al-Khalifa also said the army had received Emirati-made ammunition, and accused the RSF of attempting to scratch off manufacturing markings to disguise its origin. Sudan Tribune could not independently verify the claim.

The RSF has increasingly relied on combat and reconnaissance drones in El Fasher.

Witnesses told Sudan Tribune that clashes continued in the eastern and southeastern parts of El Fasher, with both sides using heavy weapons. Army warplanes also carried out air strikes on suspected RSF positions in the east of the city.

The RSF fired artillery shells at neighbourhoods in the west and north of the city, as well as the livestock market in the south. The army said it responded with artillery fire.

El Fasher has seen heavy fighting since May, when the RSF launched a military operation aimed at taking control of the city, one of the last remaining strongholds of the central government in Darfur.