The executive office of the South Darfur Civil Administration has declared its support for the Rapid Support Forces and called on the army and the Rapid Support Forces to continue negotiations. The office’s spokesperson denounced the killing of innocent civilians and the destruction of official institutions by airstrikes.
The office also urged the tribes in the army to side with what it called “the people’s choice,” and signed a social statement with 22 components, including the Bani Helba, Al-Tarjum, Al-Habania, Al-Falata, Al-Masiriya, Al-Razeqat, and Al-Taaishah.
Arabic sources reported on Sunday evening that the Rapid Support Forces had taken control of several police centers in the five-state Darfur region.
It is worth noting that the army, led by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, share areas of influence in this region that has experienced years of bitter conflict.
Since the conflict between the two military forces erupted in mid-April of this year, concerns have grown of an escalation in Darfur, especially as the region has witnessed intermittent tribal clashes in recent years.
This vast region, inhabited by several Arab and African tribes, renowned for agriculture, and roughly the size of France, is scarred by painful memories of the protracted civil war that lasted for years, resulting in thousands of deaths and major massacres among the tribes, two decades ago.
