The army expels a Rapid Support Forces unit from El Fasher amid heavy clashes
Sudan Events – Agencies
A source in the Sudanese army told Al Jazeera that a Rapid Support Forces (RSF) unit infiltrated the outskirts of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, on Thursday evening. The source confirmed that the army pursued the unit early Friday morning, forcing it to retreat.
The same source stated that intense clashes erupted early Friday between the army and the RSF in several areas of the city, resulting in heavy casualties and significant losses in equipment for the RSF.
The source also noted that skirmishes are still ongoing between the two sides in the southern parts of the city.
In Omdurman, a security source and another from the Sudanese Electricity Generation Company told Al Jazeera that four RSF drones targeted a power facility in the Al-Markhiat area, northwest of the city. They explained that Sudanese army defenses managed to repel the attack, preventing any material or human damage.
Mutual Accusations
On Thursday, the Sudanese army stated that RSF forces had burned down the Khartoum Refinery in Al-Jaili, the largest oil refining station in the country. The government accused the RSF of continuing a “systematic criminal campaign to destroy Sudan’s vital infrastructure.”
In a statement, the Sudanese army described the RSF’s actions as a “desperate attempt to destroy the country’s foundations” and a “continuation of its hateful and criminal behavior against the nation and its people, especially as our forces tighten the noose on all combat fronts.”
The army emphasized its determination to “pursue the RSF militia everywhere until every inch of the country is cleansed.”
On the other hand, the RSF stated that the army had launched airstrikes on the refinery.
In a statement, the RSF claimed that “the ongoing aerial bombardment of the refinery, most recently this morning, has led to its destruction.”
Fierce clashes between the army and RSF continued on Thursday for the second consecutive day in Al-Jaili, a town located about 70 kilometers north of Khartoum, as both sides sought to gain control of the oil refinery. Witnesses, as cited by the Anadolu Agency, reported columns of smoke rising from the area.
The agency also noted that the Sudanese army launched a large-scale attack on Wednesday, taking control of Al-Jaili, Kabashi, and Saggai areas. Meanwhile, the RSF stated that it had repelled the army’s attack on the refinery.
The RSF has controlled the refinery, which was established in the 1990s, since the outbreak of the conflict in mid-April 2023.
Since then, the army and RSF have been locked in a war that has claimed over 20,000 lives and displaced approximately 14 million people, according to the United Nations and local authorities.
United Nations and international bodies continue to call for an end to the war to prevent a humanitarian disaster in Sudan, where food shortages have resulted from fighting across 13 of the country’s 18 states.
