Sudan

Intense clashes erupt between Sudanese army, RSF in Khartoum

A burned vehicle is seen in Khartoum, Sudan April 26, 2023. (Photo: El-Tayeb Siddig/Reuters)

By Amina Wako | Saturday, June 1, 2024

Large numbers of Sudanese army personnel crossed the Halfaya Bridge, which links Omdurman and Khartoum Bahri, early in the morning, and moved far into Khartoum North after demolishing RSF positions on the eastern side of the bridge.

Intense battles erupted between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Friday at several locations in Khartoum North (Bahri) and Omdurman, indicating a significant escalation of the ongoing war in the capital.

According to the Sudan Tribune, large numbers of Sudanese army personnel crossed the Halfaya Bridge, which links Omdurman and Khartoum Bahri, early in the morning, and moved far into Khartoum North after demolishing RSF positions on the eastern side of the bridge.

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"The armed forces carried out a successful special operation at dawn today, destroying a large number of enemy vehicles and causing numerous casualties among the leaders and members of the Daglo's militia," said Nabil Abdallah, the spokesperson for the Sudanese army.

He added that the army forces had made considerable progress into enemy territory in Halfaya and Khartoum North.

The spokesperson did not, however, elaborate on the precise goals of the offensive or the rationale for the army's subsequent departure from the recently taken regions, which included Bahri City's eastern bank of the bridge.

According to military officials, the mission's primary goal was to get vital supplies to soldiers stationed at the Signal Corps headquarters in Bahri, which is primarily under RSF control.

A spokesman for the RSF, Al-Fateh Qureshi, said that on Friday, their troops successfully brought down an army helicopter in Khartoum North. He claimed this was a small portion of a larger battle in which the RSF repulsed army attempts at penetration, resulting in heavy casualties and the destruction of equipment.

Witnesses who spoke to the Sudan Tribune reported hearing gunfire and heavy artillery coming from Moore Street and Halfaya farms, where there had been severe confrontations. They reported seeing smoke plumes rising from the fighting zones and hearing loud booms.

After driving out RSF units from other northern locations, the army forces positioned at the Hatab operations base marched northward into the Dardouq region, north of Khartoum North. Warplanes also heavily bombarded RSF mobile forces that were advancing from the Khartoum and East Nile districts.

On Thursday, the RSF assaulted the Signal Corps in southern Khartoum North. The assault was repulsed by the army's well-fortified defences, which were reinforced by heavy artillery and drones.

The Sudanese army persisted in their onslaught in Omdurman to take over the western areas of the city.

The regions of Fataimab, Qariyat Sifr, Souq Al-Qish, and Hara 26, which are situated at the boundary between the Karari location in northern Omdurman and Umbada in the west, have all reported clashes with the RSF.

Despite the ongoing siege, the RSF remains heavily present in Umbada, and because of the army's blockade, which limits the flow of food and medical supplies from northern Omdurman, there are dire humanitarian conditions there.