A Rapid Support Forces (RSF) unit attacked the Sayyal Market in El Geteina Locality of White Nile State on Sunday, opening fire indiscriminately and engaging in looting and theft against citizens, according to Sudanese newspaper Al-Taghyeer.
The newspaper, citing local witnesses, reported the RSF killed four people and injured six others in attacks on the village market, which was one of the few rural markets still operating in the area.
Al-Sayyal is located just 3 km east of the White Nile River, and 7 km west of the Khartoum-Rabak road. The village is at the northern edge of SAF control in the state, or in a contested area. Although there are reportedly Sudanese army troops stationed nearby, there were apparently none in Sayyal itself at the time of the attack.
Eyewitnesses reported that the RSF attacked Sayyal twice, once at 8:00 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m., engaging in looting and robbery, and forcing residents to flee their homes at gunpoint. They also said the RSF arrested a young man from the area and forced others to drive vehicles that they had looted from residents.
A local resident, identified only as M. A., said that most families had fled south to the nearby villages of Ad-Dubasi and Wad al-Nijumi, or toward Ad-Douiem, the nearest large city controlled by the army.
One man was shot in the back and chest, and another was shot in the stomach. Both were rushed to Ad-Douiem Hospital for treatment. Al-Taghyeer noted,
“Sayal Market had been the only operational market in the area since the RSF took control of all other local markets. With the closure of Sayyal Market, all the markets that local residents relied on were shut down. The repeated RSF attacks on areas south of Geteina have led to the closure of dozens of hospitals, and there have been deaths among women, children, and the elderly, amid outbreaks of cholera and dengue fever, further exacerbating the suffering of the people.”
After attacking Al-Sayyal, the RSF troops withdrew north toward the larger towns of Naima and Geteina, from which they operate.
Fighting and raiding by the warring parties in this area has occurred before, but is not frequently reported. The frontline along this axis has been mostly stable since the fall of Jebel Aulia City a year ago. After that, the RSF also seized parts of northern White Nile, while the SAF pulled back into defensive positions farther south, closer to the large urban centers of White Nile.
Meanwhile, the RSF also control territory on the west bank of the Nile, from which they recently made incursions toward Ad-Douiem. That city is a potential target because if commands a bridge over the Nile, which would benefit the RSF logistically. However, until now, both sides have seemed to treat the White Nile front as a secondary priority, with no major offensive operations taking place on either bank.
An important oil pipeline runs north-south through this area, crossing the frontline. Early this year, pipeline engineers had difficulty accessing pump stations in the frontline area, which caused a “gelling incident”—a clog, in other words—that ruptured the pipeline. This development has contributed to a major economic crisis in South Sudan, which relied on revenues from oil exports via the pipeline to Port Sudan.
Videos
Atbara residents witnessed anti-aircraft fire for several nights in a row, allegedly targeting RSF suicide drones. This coincides with the convening of the Islamic Movement shura council in the city.
Citing witnesses, Radio Dabanga reported, “Opinions varied between those who believe that the matter is just a 'ploy' to divert attention from the Islamic Movement meeting, and those who were frightened [of a real threat]…”
Additionally, there is heavy presence of security forces at checkpoints in the city and many reported arrests. The shura council recently nominated as its leader Ahmed Haroun, a former security official and governor who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In the video below, supplies are seen being airdropped to the 22nd Infantry Division of the Sudanese Armed Forces in Babanusa. This garrison is isolated and effectively under siege. It has repulsed several RSF assaults. The RSF haven’t recently made an attempt to attack it again. Areas around the base are defended by landmines.
Below, this is a new RSF propaganda video filmed in northern Al-Jazira State, which shows a market day in the RSF-occupied village, as well as a meeting between villagers and an RSF commander and media team. The video was published with the caption, “Civilians Protection Unit assesses the situation of local residents of ‘Wad Rawa’ and pledges to provide water, electricity, and telecommunications services.”
News in Brief
Fighting took place in or near Keilak, West Kordofan, on Saturday, November 23, after which pro-SAF sources claimed control of the garrison. The SAF previously had troops in Keilak but abandoned the city last year, withdrawing toward Heglieg oilfield. IOM reported the displacement of approximately 2,000 households.
U.S. Special Envoy Tom Perriello met yesterday in Riyadh with the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Waleed Abdulkarim El Khereiji to discuss the situation in Sudan, according to Saudi official news sources. The meeting was also attended by the Advisor of the Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Prince Musab Al-Farhan. The two countries have been cooperating to try to co-mediate ceasefire talks and humanitarian access in Sudan.
Sudanese families who fled to southern Libya are suffering from cold weather. Hussein Al-Fateh, a Sudanese resident in Kufra, told Radio Dabanga that they
live under trees or in simple huts made of palm fronds, and are unable to make a living or find shelter. Al-Fateh appealed to the concerned authorities to urgently intervene to provide winter clothes and blankets to alleviate their suffering.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs announced the death of a colleague in El Fasher, North Darfur, Sadig Andosa. “Sadig was a dedicated humanitarian, son, father, and husband. Most importantly he was a good person who helped others.” The UN agency did not explain the circumstances of his death. In recent days, there were reports of airstrikes and shelling in the city.
Hundreds more displaced people fleeing El Fasher have arrived in Jebel Marra, a mountainous region controlled by a neutral armed group, the Sudan Liberation Movement faction led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur.
A convoy of trucks from the UN World Food Programme reached the famine-struck Zamzam Camp in North Darfur for the first time in months. Previously, some aid trucks from Doctors Without Borders had gotten through, but humanitarians say the relief aid is still too little.
The spokesman for the resistance committees of the Southern Belt of Khartoum, Mohammed Abdullah “Kandasha,” described the situation in the suburban region as miserable due to the continuous interruption of electricity, communication services, and water supply services, pointing out that there is great difficulty in obtaining potable water, and some residents resorted to using primitive methods to get water. (Resistance committees are former protest groups pre-dating the war, which have largely shifted their focus from politics to the humanitarian situation, following the outbreak of civil war).
ICYMI: Sudan’s army regained control of the city of Sinja, capital of Sennar State.
Sudan’s military contacted the South Sudanese government to ask it not to allow RSF troops trapped in southern Sennar State to flee into South Sudanese territory. The RSF remain in control of the town of Mazmoum near Renk County of South Sudan, and fighting is expected in this area as the Sudanese military seek to fully recapture Sennar State, which the RSF had seized in July.
A group of RSF combat vehicles arrived in Um Dam Haj Ahmed, 100 km northeast of El Obeid, according to Darfur 24. The remote village is far from the tarmac road usually used for travel between El Obeid and Omdurman; it is approximately 80 km west of the White Nile State border and 140 km from Ad-Douiem. Upon arriving, the RSF troops cut off the Sudani telecom network in the village.