The Sudanese Army repelled an attack by the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), and bombed their positions in various parts of the capital, amid growing concerns about the war spreading to eastern Sudan. A U.S. official also warned of the deteriorating humanitarian situation there.
A military source from the Sudanese Army told Al Jazeera that the army repelled an early Thursday attack by the Rapid Support Forces, targeting the Armored Corps camp south of the capital, Khartoum, with heavy weapons and drones.
The sources also stated that the Sudanese Army bombarded Rapid Support Forces’ gatherings in central and southern Omdurman, north of Khartoum North, and east of Khartoum with heavy artillery and drones.
In related news, local sources told Al Jazeera that the city of Al Fasher in North Darfur is witnessing clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces. The sources mentioned that the random shelling by the Rapid Support Forces resulted in several shells falling inside civilian homes.
The sources added that the fighting between the two sides in Sudan has escalated violently across various fronts in the capital Khartoum, Al Gezira State, East Darfur, West Kordofan, and the city of Al-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, involving heavy artillery, aircraft, and drones.
In December, the Rapid Support Forces unexpectedly took control of large parts of Al Gezira State, the southern gateway to Khartoum, which also serves as the eastern gateway for the Rapid Support Forces with their main stronghold in the Darfur region.
Fears
From their new positions, the Rapid Support Forces could potentially reach the roads leading to Al Qadarif State on the border with Ethiopia and Kassala State on the border with Eritrea. Kassala State is also the southern gateway to the Red Sea province, where Port Sudan is located.
This prompted Malik Agar, the Deputy Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, to visit Eritrea in the middle of last month to discuss the potential spread of the war with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki.
Agar stated on the X platform that he discussed “ways to prevent the war from extending to eastern Sudan” during his recent visit to Eritrea.
Agar’s statement came amid fears of the war in Sudan spreading to the three eastern states of Sudan, which have remained largely unaffected by the fighting, especially Port Sudan, where the only operational port and airport in Sudan are currently located, in addition to being the current headquarters of the Chairman of the Sovereignty Council and Army Commander, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan.
