Sudan Armed Forces clash with RSF in Omdourman

Sudanese Armed Forces fire towards positions held by the Rapid Support Forces in central Omdourman, in a battle to cut off access to the area from their foes.

The situation remains worrying in Sudan, a country hit by conflict between the army and a rival military faction since April. On Tuesday 8 August, the Sudanese army stepped up its efforts to advance into the capital, Khartoum, triggering some of the most violent clashes since the crisis began.

Since Monday, witnesses have reported, General Abdel Fattah el Bourhan’s army has been carrying out air strikes and using heavy artillery with the aim of taking control of a bridge over the Nile which the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) use to transport reinforcements and munitions from two towns adjacent to the capital: Omdurman and Bahri.

The RSF of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti”, responded vigorously to the army offensive to maintain their territorial advantage in Khartoum, which they have controlled for the most part since the conflict broke out on 15 April. This led to violent clashes in residential areas of the capital, killing civilians and forcing residents to flee.

According to activists based in Omdurman, at least nine civilians were killed. 

The conflict between the army and the RSF, allies in the 2021 coup d’état, erupted after growing tensions between their commanders over the contours of the transition to civilian rule, four years after the fall of Omar al-Bashir. While both sides have claimed progress in recent days, there has been no decisive breakthrough. Efforts led by Saudi Arabia and the United States to achieve a ceasefire have reached an impasse.

More than four million people have been displaced, according to UN figures, including more than 900,000 who have fled to neighbouring countries already shaken by conflict and economic crisis. 

The violence has also exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the country, where more than 300 deaths from disease and malnutrition, mainly among young children, were recorded between 15 May and 17 July, according to the UN refugee agency.