Drone attacks by the Rapid Support Forces have escalated in several Sudanese cities, according to military sources. These attacks have targeted the capital, Khartoum, as well as the cities of Atbara and Ad-Damir in River Nile State, and Al-Ubayyid in North Kordofan State. While the army announced that its air defenses had shot down a number of drones before they reached their targets, a mass grave was discovered in the city of Kurmuk in Blue Nile State.
Drone attacks
Eyewitnesses reported that the skies over the cities of Omdurman and Khartoum North, west and north of the capital Khartoum, witnessed intense drone activity since the morning hours, coinciding with the sound of explosions and heavy anti-aircraft fire.
Local sources said the army thwarted drone attacks targeting vital sites, while air defense operations focused on intercepting aircraft before they reached their targets.
Local sources said the army thwarted drone attacks targeting vital sites, while air defense operations focused on intercepting aircraft before they reached their targets.
It reported that one of the support marches targeted a mosque in the Darushab area of Khartoum North, amid concerns about escalating attacks on civilian and religious sites.
In conjunction with the attacks, authorities in the capital, Khartoum, are moving to tighten security measures at the entrances to the capital, with plans to establish new crossings with modern technical specifications to control the movement of entry and exit and prevent what the authorities describe as the infiltration of “criminals,” in a measure they said aims to secure those returning to the capital amid fears that the return of residents to Khartoum, Omdurman and Khartoum North will be exploited to carry out security operations or to bring weapons and equipment into areas under the control of the army.
The re-establishment of security in the capital comes in parallel with efforts to restart infrastructure.
The Roads, Bridges and Water Drainage Authority in Khartoum State announced the completion of maintenance on the southern wing of the White Nile Bridge leading to Omdurman and its reopening to traffic, in a step aimed at rehabilitating facilities damaged during the war.
Authorities and states affected by the war have also begun reconstruction efforts, with the announcement of the formation of a joint committee of urban planning ministries to follow up on the implementation of reconstruction projects and their financing mechanisms with the participation of partners and various states.
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In El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, military sources reported that the army’s anti-aircraft defenses managed to shoot down a drone belonging to the “Support” forces that was trying to target the city, which is an important military and economic center in North Kordofan that the “Support” forces have been trying to control for more than a year.
Reuters quoted witnesses as saying the city was attacked by eight drones, prompting the activation of the army's air defenses. Medical sources reported that the attack resulted in two deaths and several injuries.
This comes days after developments on the ground in the vicinity of the city and the export route linking it to Khartoum, a strategic route that the armed forces are seeking to secure to ensure the movement of supplies between the central region and Kordofan.
El Obeid holds particular importance in the course of the war, as it is one of the most important military and logistical hubs in central Sudan.
El Obeid holds particular importance in the course of the war, as it is one of the most important military and logistical hubs in central Sudan. During earlier phases of the war, it was subjected to attacks and siege attempts by the Rapid Support Forces, while the army reinforced its presence around it and deployed its troops towards the Bara axis and other areas in North Kordofan.
Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minawi had previously spoken about attempts by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to impose a siege on El Obeid, asserting that forces allied with the army were working to prevent this. Meanwhile, the United Nations warned of a repeat of the El Fasher scenario should El Obeid be overrun.
Wednesday’s attacks were not limited to the capital Khartoum and North Kordofan; the city of Atbara, in the River Nile State, was subjected to a simultaneous drone attack, while sources reported similar aerial activity in the neighboring town of Ad-Damir.
Drones have become one of the most prominent tools of the “support” forces to exert pressure on areas far from the traditional front lines in relatively safe states.
Drone attacks have caused large numbers of civilian casualties since the outbreak of the Politically, the governor of Darfur, Minni Arko Minawi, said during a visit to South Sudan that the government and the political forces supporting the state have not closed the door to dialogue, and that they support reaching a peace that ends the war, but he stressed that any settlement must be fair and preserve the unity and sovereignty of Sudan.
Minawi had stressed the need for any negotiation to be transparent and for Sudanese people to participate in determining the future of their country.
Minawi's statements come at a time when regional and international efforts are intensifying in search of a settlement to the Sudanese crisis.
Minawi had stressed the need for any negotiation to be transparent and for Sudanese people to participate in determining the future of their country, and he emphasized the rejection of turning peace into a means to impose a new military reality.
He explained that his movements in Ethiopia, Uganda and South Sudan aim to explain the Sudanese position to neighboring countries, in addition to discussing the conditions of refugees and ways of safe and dignified voluntary return.
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