Fierce clashes erupted today, Saturday, between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum’s northern city of Bahri. The capital’s neighborhoods and Omdurman witnessed artillery shelling, while relative calm returned to the city of Babanusa in West Kordofan.
Witnesses told the Arab World News Agency that violent ground battles between the two factions started in the morning in the Al-Kadaro North and Hattab neighborhoods of Bahri city. They reported that dense smoke columns rose from Al-Kadaro amidst the sounds of loud explosions and continuous gunfire since the morning.
The Army is attempting to advance into the heart of Bahri city from its camps north of the city to break the siege around the Signal Corps area. In Omdurman, west of the capital Khartoum, the Sudanese Army fired artillery shells from the Wadi Sayidna military base north of the city towards Rapid Support Forces’ positions in west and central Omdurman.
Both the Army and the Rapid Support Forces exchanged artillery fire in several Khartoum neighborhoods. The Army shelled the Jabrah and Al-Sahafa neighborhoods surrounding the Armored Corps south of the capital, while the Rapid Support Forces shelled the Army’s headquarters in central Khartoum.
In the city of Babanusa in West Kordofan State, relative calm returned after four days of clashes. Residents reported that the city has become almost empty after most people fled following the intense fighting.
Babanusa’s Emergency Room confirmed via Facebook the arrival of a new group of families fleeing the war to the nearby city of Al-Mujlad. They traveled on foot along the railway connecting the two cities, while some arrived in carts pulled by animals.
Previously, the oil-rich West Kordofan State had been spared from the armed conflict between the Army and the Rapid Support Forces. The conflict erupted in mid-April after weeks of tension, while military and civilian parties were finalizing a politically backed international process.
