Sudanese Army, RSF Clash in West Darfur Capital

West Darfur governor (L) flanked with Sudanese army generals at the Geneina Airport to welcome a Sovereign Council delegation on April 27, 2022

April 27, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – The militias of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) clashed with the Sudanese army in the capital of West Darfur, Geneina, on Wednesday as the central government deployed more troops to restore security in the troubled state.

On April 25, the Security and Defence Council took a series of decisions to control the chronic tribal violence in West Darfur and decided to dispatch military reinforcements to prevent further escalation as elements of the RSF and the former rebels were involved in the clashes that left 201 people dead.

Eyewitnesses told the Sudan Tribune that a newly deployed military force in the state capital opened fire on an unmarked RSF vehicle that refused to stop at a security checkpoint in Geneina, killing one person and seriously wounding another.

The sources confirmed that after the incident, the RSF carried out a massive attack on the security checkpoints that the military services had set up in order to control the security situation.

“These attackers did not spare even the Sudanese-Chadian joint forces,” he added.

A senior official in the West Darfur government told the Sudan Tribune that the central government officially decided to replace all the security forces in the state including the RSF with soldiers from other Sudanese regions.

“Troops from the 5th Infantry Division in North Kordofan State started to arrive in the state. This force will deal firmly with the troublemakers, including RSF and the armed movements, alike” he added.

The military rulers ignored a request of the West Darfur government to replace the RSF with other forces from outside the state. The RSF troops in West Darfur belong to the Arab tribes in the area.

Recent developments, however, forced the Sudanese government to take this decision after the release of videos and photos on social media showing RSF personnel participating in the fighting and attacks on defenceless civilians.

Mohamed Hamadan Daglo “Hemetti”, Deputy Chairman of the Sovereign Council and RSF Commander admitted the state’s failure to deal with the bloody attacks in West Darfur and announced the formation of a commission of inquiry headed by the attorney general.

When addressing a Ramadan Iftar in Khartoum, Hemetti said that all parties involved in the events in West Darfur are “victims of malicious plans prepared and implemented by parties hostile to Sudan”.

He vowed to impose the “most severe penalties” on the perpetrators of these attacks once the investigation committee identified them.

(ST)