RSF Claims Seizing Significant Areas of ‘Armored Camp’ in Khartoum

A picture distributed by the Rapid Support Forces on Sunday around the headquarters of the Armored Camp south of Khartoum, Sudan (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A picture distributed by the Rapid Support Forces on Sunday around the headquarters of the Armored Camp south of Khartoum, Sudan (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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RSF Claims Seizing Significant Areas of ‘Armored Camp’ in Khartoum

A picture distributed by the Rapid Support Forces on Sunday around the headquarters of the Armored Camp south of Khartoum, Sudan (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A picture distributed by the Rapid Support Forces on Sunday around the headquarters of the Armored Camp south of Khartoum, Sudan (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced on Monday their successful seizure of substantial portions of the “Armored Camp,” which belongs to the Sudanese Army, across multiple fronts to the south of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum.

According to the RSF, this operation inflicted significant human casualties and damage to military equipment.

In an official statement released under the name of the RSF spokesperson, the paramilitary group disclosed that the army’s troops fled and sought refuge within some adjacent camp buildings, where they are now being pursued.

The statement detailed that the RSF managed to secure a significant amount of military equipment, including weapon depots, ammunition, 34 armored vehicles, tanks, 12 artillery pieces, and 78 vehicles.

Additionally, they reported the deaths of 260 soldiers and the capture of hundreds.

Previously, the RSF had released a video showing their personnel within the headquarters of the Army’s Armored Division located in the Shagara area south of Khartoum.

Meanwhile, fierce battles were taking place in the southern part of Omdurman.

Eyewitnesses attested that the RSF launched a renewed assault on the Armored Division’s headquarters on Monday morning. They succeeded in breaching its defenses.

On their official Facebook page, the RSF shared video clips of their members operating from within the fortifications of the “Armored Camp,” which they referred to as the “strategic fortress of remnants.”

In the early hours of Sunday, the RSF initiated an intense attack on the Armored Camp from three different fronts.

The army issued a statement acknowledging their successful defense of the Shagara Camp against the assault, resulting in hundreds of attackers being either killed or wounded.

They also mentioned the destruction of five armored vehicles, tanks, and combat vehicles after the RSF attempted to flee.

The army statement confirmed that “the RSF launched mortar shells during their withdrawal, resulting in the deaths of six civilians and the injury of several others.”

Witnesses also reported that the sounds of reciprocal artillery bombardment between the RSF and the army, along with the explosions reverberating across the southern regions of Khartoum since the morning, continue unabated.



Four Moroccan Truck Drivers Kidnapped in Burkina Faso Are Released

A general view of the Moroccan capital Rabat. (File photo/AFP)
A general view of the Moroccan capital Rabat. (File photo/AFP)
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Four Moroccan Truck Drivers Kidnapped in Burkina Faso Are Released

A general view of the Moroccan capital Rabat. (File photo/AFP)
A general view of the Moroccan capital Rabat. (File photo/AFP)

Four Moroccan truck drivers who were kidnapped in West Africa over the weekend were released in Niger, officials said, according to AP.

The drivers were the latest victims of insecurity in the Sahel, an arid swath of land south of the Sahara where militant groups such as ISIS - Sahel Province have in recent years exploited local grievances to grow their ranks and expand their presence.

The four were transporting electrical equipment from Casablanca to Niamey, the capital city of Niger, and had been on the road for more than 20 days traveling the 3,000-mile (4,950-kilometer) truck route when they were reported missing on Saturday, said the secretary-general of Morocco's Transport Union and a Moroccan official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the kidnapping.

The Moroccan Embassy in Burkina Faso late on Monday informed the union that the four drivers had been freed and were safe in Niamey.

“They will be brought back soon,” said Echarki El Hachmi, the union's secretary-general.

Their trucks and hauls remain missing, he added.

Burkina Faso and Niger are battling extremist militant groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS, whose insurgencies have destabilized Sahel states in West Africa over the past decade.

A Moroccan diplomatic source earlier said the embassy was working together with Burkina Faso authorities to find the drivers.

Authorities in Burkina Faso have been organizing security convoys to escort trucks in the border area to protect against militant attacks, the source said.

El Hachmi had told Reuters that the trucks set off after waiting for a week without getting an escort.

He urged more protection in high-risk areas as the number of Moroccan trucks crossing the Sahel continues to rise.

Earlier this month, a convoy of Moroccan trucks was attacked on the Malian border with Mauritania. There were no casualties, El Hachmi said.