On Tuesday, a series of fierce confrontations unfolded in the expansive western region of Omdurman, situated within Sudan’s capital, as the military strategically sought to disrupt the supply lines utilized by paramilitary adversaries in their efforts to bolster their forces within the urban landscape.
Witnesses reported that the military initiated air strikes and deployed heavy artillery, resulting in ground battles erupting across various areas of Omdurman. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claimed responsibility for downing a fighter jet, while residents shared video footage that seemingly captured pilots ejecting from the aircraft. As of now, there has been no official statement from the army regarding these events.
Commencing on April 15th, a conflict between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) unfolded, intensifying the frequency of clashes within the capital. This escalation not only gave rise to ethnically-driven killings in the western region of Darfur but also posed a significant risk of plunging Sudan into a prolonged civil war.
Swiftly, the RSF consolidated their hold over significant portions of the capital, augmenting their ranks with additional fighters from Darfur and Kordofan as the conflict continued to escalate. They facilitated the transfer of these reinforcements across bridges connecting Omdurman to Bahri and Khartoum, the two other cities that together form the larger capital, situated at the confluence of the River Nile.
According to the most recent figures from the United Nations, approximately 2.8 million individuals have been forcibly displaced since the onset of the conflict in mid-April. Among them, nearly 650,000 individuals have sought refuge by crossing into neighboring countries, highlighting the magnitude of the displacement crisis.