By Ahmet Satti
PORT The Sudanese army on Saturday said that it has defeated the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the country’s southeastern Sennar state.
The army said in a statement that it captured five combat vehicles and destroyed 16 others.
According to local media reports, RSF’s Sennar state’s operation commander Abdurrahman al-Bishi was killed in an airstrike by the army.
On July 3, the International Organization for Migration announced that the number of displaced persons in Sennar reached 136,130 since June 24.
Sennar has been witnessing intense clashes between the army and the RSF militia aimed at controlling the major cities in the state, including Singa, Sennar, El Suki, and Dinder.
The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 between army Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo over disagreements about integrating the RSF into the army.
The conflict has caused a devastating humanitarian crisis, and clashes have killed nearly 16,000 people and displaced millions.
On March 29, Sudan filed a complaint with the UN Security Council against the United Arab Emirates for allegedly supporting the RSF, a charge the UAE denies.
*Writing by Gozde Bayar