Updates on the fighting in Omdurman, Al Obeid
Situation calmer in Omdurman as fighting renews around General Command
There were fewer reports of fighting in the Khartoum area over the past two days, in contrast to earlier in the week when fighting was heavy in Omdurman.
Nevertheless, some clashes occurred in Omdurman yesterday and last night around the General Command in Khartoum.
Fierce fighting took place Wednesday in Al Obeid before the situation calmed down Thursday, according to different media sources. Some munitions landed in western neighborhoods of Al Obeid.
RSF sources Thursday claimed control of the airport, and a pro-SAF journalist cited “informed sources” saying that RSF had targeted the runway with artillery, “putting it out of service.” The lack of visual evidence from Al Obeid makes it difficult to say what really happened at the airport. It’s worth reminding readers that until fairly recently, war reporting in Sudan often at best consisted of reporting claims and counter-claims. Although the information environment has changed, given the spread of smartphones, there is still not always going to be visual evidence of events.
Oscar Rickett, a reporter for Middle East Eye and other publications, spoke yesterday with a lawyer in Al Obeid who denied that RSF had taken the airport. “Violent clashes between the army and RSF took place [July 5] in the afternoon in the west of the city. The airport is in the southeast and still held by army,” Rickett said, citing the source.
Rickett and his colleague Mohammed Amin published a report on the situation in Al Obeid about a week ago.
RSF are controlling the rural areas around Al Obeid. Gunmen on Wednesday looted pharmacies in Barah, 60 km north of Al Obeid. On Thursday they looted the branch of the agricultural bank in the city, according to El Obeid Live.
Clashes in South Darfur
RSF attacked a force of SAF somewhere in the Kass area, northwest of Nyala, captured vehicles, and killed some soldiers. The militia yesterday published a video of the incident without saying when it took place.
In Nyala, the journalist Eisa Dafalla reported intermittent clashes July 4. He said the south of the city saw clashes for the first time in the people's market and by the Nyala South police department. There was also shelling in the north of the city “as usual.”
Central Reserve in Omdurman under SAF control
After the heavy fighting in Omdurman earlier this week, it appears that SAF remain in control of the Central Reserve facility near the industrial area (15.663472, 32.477219), despite earlier claims by RSF to have taken control of it. (Note that this should not be confused with the Central Reserve headquarters in southwest Khartoum, which remains under RSF control).
The above video was filmed July 5 at the facility. The troops said they had been there since morning. The fighting in Omdurman involves patterns of attack-and-withdraw, so it is difficult to say from such videos how firmly the army control this area and other frontline locations recently filmed, such as the Karari Locality Headquarters.
Any fighting south of this point is likely to be extremely fierce because RSF can only afford to give up another 1-2 kilometers before they are nearly cut off from Shambat Bridge. The main thrust of the SAF attack was from the north, where their forces are stronger, though SAF troops from Corps of Engineers also supported the attack.
The approximate line that RSF must hold at all costs against attacks from the north runs east-west from Wad Al Bashir Bridge (i.e., overpass) to Hilal Stadium to the Grand Mosque and through Aburouf. Any areas north of there also likely could be heavily contested, such as Wad Nubawi, the Popular Market, and Al Rikabiyya.
The map is approximate and is meant to give a general idea of the situation in this part of Omdurman following the recent fighting.
Location of the warplane crash site
A warplane that was shot down July 4, which we mentioned in a previous post, landed in the Shambat farms area of Khartoum Bahri. The pilot survived, with injuries, after ejecting. He was captured by RSF, as seen in the below video.
Analyst Haytham Hamid last night succeeded in identifying the location of the crash, a very difficult task given the lack of distinctive landmarks in the vicinity.
The plane was an FTC-2000 Advanced Jet Trainer (Light Combat Aircraft).
Source video:
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