The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) yesterday attacked the Sudanese army at villages around Sennar City, the army’s last remaining stronghold in Sennar State.
The attacks marked the first serious attempt by RSF to take over the city, which they had bypassed during a broader offensive that began three weeks ago.
Although the RSF previously have shelled Sennar and skirmished with the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) on the outskirts, yesterday’s operation was qualitatively different. It involved thousands of men advancing simultaneously from multiple directions.
Heavy fighting took place at Maiuorno, a large village 15 km south of Sennar City. The army had established a defensive line in this village along an irrigation canal, but the RSF succeeded in seizing crossings at the Maiurno water plant and bridge.
The final outcome of the fighting is unclear, though it seems that the RSF entered southern parts of the village while the army for now remain in control of the northern part of Maiuorno, according to geolocated videos filmed by RSF combatants.
The death toll is unknown. The Baraa Bin Malik Brigade, an Islamist militant group allied with the Sudan Armed Forces, announced the death of its top commander in Sennar State, Qusay Bushra Ismail, in the fighting at Maiuorno yesterday.
There were also reports of fighting at Hillat al-Bir, northwest of Maiuorno and only 9 km south of Sennar City, and at the Arab Bridge, which crosses a canal about 6 km west of Sennar. If these villages fall, then fighting will move into Sennar itself.
In a press statement, the SAF General Command did not concede any losses, instead claiming that they repulsed “several” attacks toward Sennar City:
“Today, our forces in the Sennar axis were able to defeat and destroy several failed attempts launched by the Dagalo terrorist militia [the RSF] to attack the city. The militia fled after suffering heavy losses in personnel and equipment.”
Despite these claims, videos from Maiuorno suggest that some SAF positions were overrun, while elsewhere, the RSF broke through a line of defensive earthworks in farmland outside the city, as seen in this video. The exact location is unknown. The fighter says, “We are entering Sennar, God willing. These are their defenses, blocking the road but we are coming for you. You ran and now we are coming for you.”
At least one other trench line elsewhere was overrun too, judging by graphic video from the location, suggesting a broader defensive breakdown across the front.
Currently, the situation around Sennar is fluid and the precise battle lines are unclear. Nevertheless, the bigger picture is clearer: the RSF are advancing on Sennar from the north, west, and south, and southeast. The city is close to being surrounded and clashes could begin within the city at any time.
Although there are some back roads that may still be open toward Gedaref, RSF’s seizure of Dinder, a smaller city 60 km southeast of Sennar city, and advances along the Dinder River, have made it difficult for SAF troops in Gedaref or Fau to reinforce the defenders in Sennar.
Furthermore, fears an RSF invasion have gripped Gedaref State, discouraging SAF commanders there from dispatching more men toward Sennar to reinforce the city. An alleged RSF drone was shot down in Gedaref near the state headquarters building yesterday, stoking the already widespread fears.
SAF troops based in White Nile (Rabak) and western Jazira (Managil) have conducted limited offensive operations toward RSF-controlled territory to attempt to relieve the pressure on Sennar, but without apparent successes.
In its press statement yesterday, SAF noted that there was fighting “on the Managil axis in the Wad al-Hussein and Bortabil areas,” claiming to have inflicted heavy losses including combat vehicles and armored personnel carriers.
The mentioned villages are east of Managil about midway to the city of Wad Madani. Although fighting has occurred on this axis before, specifically at Medinat al-Arab, the RSF may have left the area undefended as they shifted troops south toward Sennar.
Combat videos from near Sennar
The first three videos below were filmed at Maiurno yesterday, including one at the Maiurno Water Plant and another at the Maiurno Bridge, where RSF captured crates of ammunition from SAF. Earlier, SAF troops have filmed themselves at this location, including a brigadier-general. The exact location of the fourth video is unconfirmed.
AU consultative meeting
The African Union and the East African bloc IGAD are hosting representatives of Sudanese political parties in Addis Ababa this week for a “Preparatory Meeting to Launch an Inter-Sudanese Political Dialogue Process.”
The talks are a joint effort of the AU High-Level Panel on Sudan, led by Mohammed Ibn Chambas, and the IGAD Special Envoy for Sudan Lawrence Korbandy.
In a press release, the African Union said that the week-long preparatory meeting dialogue “will focus on the criteria for participation in the Dialogue; providing input into the agenda-setting of the Political Dialogue; determining the possible dates and venue for launching the Political process; and the role of the international community.”
The statement added, “This preparatory meeting is anchored on building a unified platform, an inclusive approach and Sudanese ownership.”
This initiative is similar to the similar to the conference held last weekend in Cairo, in that it involved both pro-SAF elements and neutral groups. One difference, however, is that the Islamist Popular Congress Party attended the Addis Ababa conference, while several secular parties, such as the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party boycotted.
The main coalition of anti-war civilian parties, known as Taqaddum, also declined to attend. In a statement, Taqaddum complained that the AU and IGAD had consulted the warring parties about the conference, but not civilian forces.
“It became clear that this meeting is controlled by elements of the previous regime, its fronts and war forces. It marginalizes and excludes the forces of peace and democratic civil transformation and weakens their role. This will only serve to legitimize the war, instead of leading to peace in Sudan.”
Nevertheless, diplomatic observers welcomed the conference. Annette Weber, European Union Special Representative for the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa, wrote on social media that the AU-IGAD initiative was “an important step toward an inclusive and unified platform for Sudan’s civilian voices.”
News in Brief
RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has fired his political advisor, Youssif Ezzat, after the latter made positive comments about the Cairo peace conference.
Doctors Without Borders announced its decision to withdraw its staff from the Turkish Hospital, located in an RSF -controlled area of Khartoum, citing “multiple violent incidents inside and outside the premises over the past 12 months.” MSF staff at the hospital have been treating 55 to 60 patients per day. The medical aid group revealed, “Over the past year, MSF staff working at the Turkish Hospital have been aggressively harassed. Many have been threatened with arrest. Indeed, at the start of June, one MSF employee was arrested inside the hospital by two armed men, taken to an unknown location, and severely beaten.”
Heavy rains and winds hit the Tulum camp for Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad, causing severe damage to refugee homes, according to Ayin.
Ayin additionally reports on disruptions to the Gum Arabic trade, noting the merchants in North Kordofan transporting the valuable export commodity must now pay gunmen lucrative “protection” fees to provide safe passage. Shipments increasingly are being smuggled west through RSF-controlled territory toward Chad rather than east toward Port Sudan, the traditional export route.