Rapid collapse of SAF defenses in Jebel Aulia
RSF take control of key landmarks in city south of Khartoum
The Sudan Armed Forces’ defenses in the city of Jebel Aulia, 40 km south of Khartoum, collapsed rapidly over the past two days following a months-long siege and week-long assault.
The Rapid Support Forces seized the Al Najumi helicopter base south of the city on November 12, the mountain (Jebel Aulia) on Saturday night, and the dam on Sunday, followed by part or all of the main military base in the city on Monday morning.
Pockets of resistance may persist in parts of Jebel Aulia, including within the military area near the city hospital, but the RSF now control nearly all of the city.
The fall of Jebel Aulia opens the way into White Nile State, where the RSF’s next principal objective would be Ad Douiem/Abu Hibeira. However, an invasion of the state would be a significant logistical undertaking for which the RSF may be unprepared at the moment.
The capture of Jebel Aulia also gives the RSF control over a bridge across the Nile, if they are able to repair or replace a 20-meter steel drawbridge across a boat lock on the dam, which was destroyed Friday in an apparent act of sabotage.
Because of the risk of a catastrophic dam failure that would flood Khartoum, the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) are unlikely to try to bomb or blow up this bridge. For now, however, the crossing remains unusable and RSF forces on the east bank of the Nile are cut off from those on the west bank. They can cross only by boat.
In a statement today, the RSF media office said,
The Rapid Support Forces has achieved a significant victory this morning by liberating the Jabel Aulia military base in South Khartoum, including the crucial bridge linking Khartoum and Omdurman. The operation inflicted substantial losses on the Sudanese Armed Forces and its terrorist backers...
For his part, the SAF spokesperson has not yet commented on the news, though some pro-SAF journalists acknowledged the loss of Jebel Aulia, claiming that the troops in the city withdrew in an orderly manner.
Videos
RSF fighting from the top of Jebel Aulia, November 19:
RSF Major General Osman Mohamed Hamid, head of the RSF Operations Department, at the Jebel Aulia dam, Khartoum side, November 20:
RSF troops on the dam, on both sides of the lock where the bridge was destroyed:
RSF at one of the gates of the Joint Training Center in Jebel Aulia, November 20:
RSF at the entrance of the 226th Air Defense Brigade, Jebel Aulia:
RSF casualties attributed to airstrikes in Jebel Aulia (⚠️ graphic):
First assault on the mountain, overlooking the dam, November 18 at dusk:
SAF troops possibly in Jebel Aulia (location unverified)
In brief:
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