Paramilitaries from Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have advanced on the southeastern trading hub of Sennar, pushing to expand territorial gains more than 14 months into a war with the army. Residents and officials reported the RSF’s advance on Wednesday, following clashes that began Tuesday evening. Families fled the city, located on the banks of the Blue Nile, after hearing the sound of fighting. “We can hear artillery and heavy gunfire. I left Sennar with my family and we’re heading south because I’m scared for my children,” Nazik Ahmed, a 49-year-old resident, told Reuters by phone. Since the outbreak of war in April 2022, the conflict between the army and the RSF has displaced an estimated 10 million people across Sudan, according to UN agencies. The conflict began over a planned integration of their forces but quickly escalated into widespread violence. The RSF has seized control of significant territory, including most of Khartoum, the central farming state Gezira, the vast western Darfur region, and many parts of the Kordofan regions to the south. In Sennar, located south of Gezira, many residents sought refuge in surrounding villages. Fighting raged throughout Tuesday evening but subsided overnight. The state’s army-led security committee stated that the military and allied fighters had destroyed seven RSF vehicles that approached the city and fired rockets. While Reuters couldn’t independently confirm these accounts of fighting, the RSF, in a video posted online on Wednesday, declared their intention to take over the city soon but urged residents to remain.
The RSF has been steadily advancing into Sennar state for weeks. On Monday and Tuesday, they clashed with the army in the strategically important Jebel Moya area, claiming control of the region in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday. Another video circulated on Tuesday showcased RSF vehicles, primarily motorcycles, moving through an area on the northern edge of Sennar. Residents report that the RSF has engaged in looting homes, raping women and girls, and killing civilians arbitrarily in areas they have entered. The United States has also accused the RSF of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing. The army, which has conducted a large-scale air strike campaign, has also faced accusations of war crimes from the United States. Both sides deny these accusations.
Fighting has intensified across Sudan, including in the capital Khartoum, as the country approaches its summer rainy season. Aid agencies have expressed concerns that the heavy rainfall will hinder the delivery of critical food and other supplies, which have also been obstructed by bureaucratic hurdles and the risk of looting. Earlier this week, the RSF seized control of al-Fula, the capital of West Kordofan state, an area close to oil fields and pipelines. Fighting has also persisted in the Darfur city of al-Fashir, where the RSF has imposed a months-long siege as it battles the army and allied forces within the city. The medical aid agency MSF reported that the last remaining hospital in al-Fashir with surgical capacity was attacked by the RSF on Friday. Local emergency response room volunteers confirmed that other medical facilities have also come under fire.
