Sudanese civilians flee amid growing clashes between army, RSF militia in Sennar state

By Adel Abdelraheem

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) – The Sudanese army announced Thursday that it had repelled an attack by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the state of Sennar, southeast of the country, while hundreds of civilians continued to flee due to clashes between the two sides in the state.

“Our forces in the Sennar axis today (Thursday) thwarted several attempts by the Rapid Support Forces militia to attack the city of Sennar (southeast), and the militia fled after suffering heavy losses in personnel and equipment,” the army said in a statement.

It also mentioned that the army "destroyed and seized a large number of combat vehicles and armored personnel carriers (belonging to the RSF) in the city of Al Manaqil in the Jazira State in the areas of Wad El Hussein and Burtabil."

Hundreds of civilians had fled from several areas in the city of Sennar and its outskirts due to clashes between the army and the RSF militia, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.

The witnesses stated that the town of Marino south of Sennar city witnessed heavy displacement due to the intense clashes between the two parties.

There has been no comment from the Rapid Support Forces on the army's statement.

On July 3, the International Organization for Migration announced that the number of displaced persons in Sennar State reached 136,130 since June 24.

For about two weeks now, Sennar State 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.

In the same context, Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) stated on Thursday that the war in Sudan has exacerbated medical and humanitarian needs in Darfur (west), an area that was already suffering before the conflict erupted in April 2023.

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 Rania Abu Shamala