RSF capture army positions in Nyala attack
Renewed offensive in South Darfur ahead of ceasefire talks
The Rapid Support Forces attacked the Sudan Armed Forces in Nyala over the past two days, October 23-24, overrunning defensive positions in at least two areas.
RSF have surrounded the 16th Division headquarters in Nyala for several months, and the two sides have clashed and shelled each other repeatedly, causing many civilian casualties in the nearby neighborhoods, and heavy damage to the central market.
The latest fighting suggests a renewed offensive by the RSF ahead of ceasefire talks set to resume in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday.
Geolocated videos filmed by RSF combatants show that they captured SAF positions outside the military hospital, and the hospital itself, which is less than 1 km north of the 16th Division headquarters, as well as a military fuel depot.
RSF also advanced to the Nyala television and radio, east of the divisional headquarters, according to video of their troops at that location.
A field commander for the RSF in Nyala, who preferred to withhold his name, told Radio Dabanga that the RSF took control of the warehouse, the medical corps, and the fourth regiment, as well as a number of neighborhoods that were controlled by the army. The army, for its part, hasn’t yet commented on the development.
Citizens in Nyala separately told the independent radio station of “large losses of life along with a state of looting and robbery on Congo Street,” following the RSF attack.
Similarly, Darfur 24 reported many civilian victims: "Citizens told Darfur 24 that they had seen columns of smoke rising in the vicinity of the army command since this morning, and that the battles had left dozens of civilians dead. A resident of the northern neighborhoods stated that residents of the Kango neighborhood adjacent to the battle area had buried 32 bodies as a result of the battles.."
RSF outside the Nyala military hospital
⚠️ Scenes of graphic violence (two dead bodies, pixellated in part)
RSF at the Nyala military fuel depot
This video was filmed at the military fuel depot (12.061468, 24.865445) this morning, October 24. There are sounds of ongoing combat and a scene in which RSF technicals are seen firing southwest toward a SAF position in a neighborhood.
RSF with captured armored vehicle
Another video from approximately the same location shows the RSF with a captured BRDM-2 armored vehicle, which the army had placed behind a dirt berm.
