A military spokesperson for the Sudanese Army and its allied forces announced the successful interception of the “largest drone attack” targeting El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
Since April, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been imposing a siege on the historic capital of the Darfur region, escalating to fierce battles in May against the army and allied forces in an attempt to seize control of the city.
According to leaders of the joint force, El Fasher has endured approximately 131 attacks by the Rapid Support Forces and their allied militias.
The ongoing clashes, compounded by the artillery bombardments from the RSF, have resulted in significant civilian casualties, with over 500,000 people displaced and substantial damage to service facilities and residential homes.
Ahmed Hussein Mustafa, the spokesperson for the joint forces in Darfur, detailed that the combined defenses of the army and joint forces thwarted a significant drone assault launched by the RSF on El Fasher.
“Ground defenses managed to down about 30 drones, equipped with 120mm and 85mm shells and others meant for reconnaissance purposes,” Mustafa explained.
He noted that the drones hovered over the northeastern districts before being intercepted and shot down, with the joint forces destroying 14 and the army taking down 16 drones.
Eyewitnesses also reported that warplanes continued to target RSF’s positions in the eastern, northern, and southern parts of El Fasher.
They described hearing loud explosions and seeing plumes of smoke early Sunday morning from bombings that hit both stationary and moving targets predominantly controlled by the RSF.
In the past three weeks, military aviation has intensified its targeting of cities under the control of the Rapid Support Forces across Darfur, Gezira, Sennar, and Khartoum State, leading to numerous fatalities.
The continuous aerial bombardment has drawn sharp criticism from political forces, armed movements, and protest groups, who have called for an aviation ban to prevent further civilian casualties.
