The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and allied armed groups conducted limited offensive operations into al-Jazira, capturing eastern villages of the state and clashing with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on two roads leading to the state capital Wad Madani.
Attacking along at least two axes, SAF reached Medina Arab (a town that they previously attacked last month before withdrawing), and approximately to the area of al-Shabarga, a town approximately 30 km from the Hantoub Bridge.
The attacking forces consisted of hundreds of combat vehicles and support vehicles, according to videos and prisoner of war videos reviewed by Sudan War Monitor. Nevertheless, this represents only a fraction of SAF’s forces on this front; others stayed behind to guard SAF’s eastern states, or as a reserve for follow-up attacks.
In the eastern part of the state, RSF attacked an advancing column near the village of al-Afaia, inflicting casualties and capturing equipment and men, according to geolocated videos. RSF’s spokesperson claimed they destroyed the entire column, capturing 67 combat vehicles and destroying 20 others, as well as several tanks.
These numbers appear to be exaggerated, however, and the RSF spokesperson also falsely reported that the fighting took place “on the outskirts of the al-Fau area in Gedaref State,” when in fact it took place more than 20 km inside al-Jazira State.
In our assessment, RSF likely did not clash with the main body of the attacking force, but instead ambushed the rear part of the column, or a support force sent later. Captured SAF supply trucks are seen in the videos below.
The Sudan Armed Forces made no official statement about the events along the Jazira State front. However, General Yasser al-Atta, SAF’s Assistant Commander-in-Chief and a member of the Sovereignty Council, said that the army is determined to enter Wad Madani before Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan.
SAF’s offensive into the state is supported by the Sudan Liberation Movement factions led by Mustafa Tambour and Minni Minawi, as well as the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) led by Jibril Ibrahim, which recently graduated thousands of new recruits in the eastern states of Gedaref and Kassala.
Fighting is expected to continue in al-Jazira State, at least until the rainy season makes movement more difficult. In addition to the two axes of attack indicated on the map above, the army could also attack north from Sennar.
Separately, the Sudan Armed Forces are also building up a large force in River Nile State, which could attack south toward Khartoum Bahri.
Furthermore, fighting continues in Omdurman and neighboring Ombada, which was the primary focus of the Sudan Armed Forces earlier this year.
Videos
Below are videos of SAF troops on the outskirts of Medina Arab in central Jazira State.
RSF troops firing during clashes in Al Jazira State:
RSF with a captured SAF lorry:
RSF with another captured SAF lorry:
⚠️ Graphic video: SAF bodies on the road to Wad Madani
RSF vehicles and troops on foot following clashes along the Wad Madani road: