El-Fasher: Renewed Clashes and Calls for Humanitarian Air Drops

Sudan Events – Agencies

Pro-army sources revealed that Sudanese army forces carried out a second dual airdrop operation on Tuesday morning, delivering military equipment and supplies to troops besieged inside El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. The operation was described as “coordinated and successful.”

Meanwhile, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced that they had shot down a Turkish-made Bayraktar Akinci drone over the city’s skies.

In a statement, the El-Fasher Resistance Committees – a voluntary youth coalition – said that a cargo plane flew at high altitude over the city before dropping its payload in army-held areas.

Eyewitnesses reported that the RSF’s air defenses did not target the aircraft. A second plane reportedly followed, dropping additional supplies and equipment to the 6th Infantry Division of the Sudanese army.

According to media reports citing a military source from the division, the airdropped supplies included “various types of ammunition, food items, and life-saving medicines received by the besieged units.” The source described the mission as “a logistical achievement that restores morale to our forces in the city.”

The army has struggled since April to deliver supplies to its encircled troops in El-Fasher, after the RSF downed several military aircraft over the city. However, it succeeded in late September in completing its first successful airdrop.
Tuesday’s operation marked the second such delivery since September.

Conversely, the RSF spokesperson stated that its air defense units shot down a Bayraktar Akinci drone early Tuesday morning over El-Fasher, releasing photos purportedly showing the wreckage. The RSF claimed that the drone had been used in strikes on civilians, resulting in “dozens of deaths and injuries.”

The statement accused the “Islamist army” of committing genocide and ethnic cleansing, describing such acts as “a flagrant violation of international law.”
The Sudanese army, however, has consistently denied such allegations. In an earlier statement, it asserted that its operations targeted “specific military sites belonging to the rebel militia.”

On Monday, the 6th Infantry Division Command announced that “the army, joint forces, and local mobilized groups repelled a large-scale assault launched by the Dagalo family militia from three directions, destroying combat vehicles and killing field commanders and foreign mercenaries.”
The statement stressed that “the situation remains stable and under control.”

According to local observers, Monday witnessed what could be described as a major offensive by the RSF against the 6th Division. The RSF reportedly mobilized significant military assets, deploying numerous armored vehicles and combat units.

War analyst Mohamed Khalifa wrote on his Facebook page that the attack began with intense artillery shelling on army-held areas. RSF forces then advanced under drone cover toward the division’s headquarters from four directions: south, north, northwest, and northeast.

The attacking forces reportedly made initial advances, reaching the horse racing field, the main market, and El-Fasher Secondary School. Units approaching from the south entered the Medical Corps, Engineering Corps, and Signal Corps compounds.
However, army forces and allied groups eventually repelled the offensive, inflicting heavy casualties and destroying equipment, including the deaths of field commanders, forcing the RSF to retreat.

Humanitarian Pleas

Amid the escalating hostilities, the El-Fasher Resistance Committees appealed to humanitarian organizations to conduct urgent airdrops of relief supplies, similar to those used by the army to resupply its troops.
In a statement on Facebook, they wrote: “The humanitarian situation in El-Fasher is catastrophic. Thousands of civilians suffer from acute shortages of food, water, and medicine, while the number of wounded grows by the day. We call on the world to drop bread and medicine from the sky, just as the warring sides drop ammunition.”

El-Fasher remains the last state capital in the Darfur region under army control, but it has been under a tight siege by the RSF since April 2024. The blockade has triggered severe famine conditions, acute shortages of essential goods, and unprecedented price hikes.
Many residents have resorted to consuming livestock fodder as food substitutes, while fierce clashes continue almost daily, threatening the lives of thousands of trapped civilians with no access to food or medical aid.