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RSF Seize Fourth Sudanese Army Division in Darfur

A snapshot from a video broadcasted by the RSF depicting their forces at the headquarters of the 20th Infantry Division in El Daein, Darfur (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A snapshot from a video broadcasted by the RSF depicting their forces at the headquarters of the 20th Infantry Division in El Daein, Darfur (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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RSF Seize Fourth Sudanese Army Division in Darfur

A snapshot from a video broadcasted by the RSF depicting their forces at the headquarters of the 20th Infantry Division in El Daein, Darfur (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A snapshot from a video broadcasted by the RSF depicting their forces at the headquarters of the 20th Infantry Division in El Daein, Darfur (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan announced on Tuesday their successful takeover of the 20th Infantry Division, a unit belonging to the Sudanese Army that is located outside the city of El Daein in the state of Darfur.
This marks the fourth military division which has been subdued by the RSF in the western part of the country.
“We assure the people of East Darfur and all of Sudan that El Daein will remain secure under the protection of our brave forces, following the expulsion of the forces loyal to Al-Burhan,” the RSF said in a statement released on “X.”
El-Daein had witnessed intense clashes on Monday between the Sudanese Army and the RSF, following days of tension between the two parties.
However, media reports quoted witnesses confirming that the army forces withdrew from the 20th Infantry Division in accordance with an agreement with tribal leaders in East Darfur.
This withdrawal was aimed at safeguarding the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians who had fled the region’s cities after the RSF insisted on attacking the division.
The RSF announced that their forces “achieved a new victory in their continuous string of triumphs by liberating the 20th Infantry Division in the city of El Daein in East Darfur.”
There has been no official comment from the army amid circulating reports about the withdrawal of its forces from the military standoff.
Unexpectedly, a sudden outbreak of fighting erupted between the Sudanese Army and the RSF in mid-April, following weeks of escalating tensions between the two factions.
This conflict unfolded at a time when military and civilian entities were finalizing the details of an internationally-supported political process.

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UN: Situation in West Darfur ‘Catastrophic’

A displaced Sudanese woman sits next to children in a town in northern Darfur (Reuters) 
A displaced Sudanese woman sits next to children in a town in northern Darfur (Reuters) 
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UN: Situation in West Darfur ‘Catastrophic’

A displaced Sudanese woman sits next to children in a town in northern Darfur (Reuters) 
A displaced Sudanese woman sits next to children in a town in northern Darfur (Reuters) 

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan (OCHA) said on Sunday there is a “massive” need for humanitarian assistance in North Darfur, adding that situation in the Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps is catastrophic.

“Civilians are trapped. Aid cannot reach those who need it most,” the office said on its X account, adding that displaced people in the Tawila camp are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

Meanwhile, Salwa Abdullah, a Darfur resident, told Asharq Al-Awsat on Sunday that she buried her five children in the Darfur desert, with no sign to locate their graves if she ever came back to visit them.

“How can I survive without them,” she said.

Salwa dug their graves with the help of her father, during their journey from al-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, to the relatively safe town of Tawila.

Speaking on the phone while crying, she said, “I tried to get them to a safe area, away from shells and bullets. I didn’t imagine they will die of thirst and then buried in a vast desert with no sign to mark their graves, only small sand hills that will disappear from wind and rain.”

Salwa’s oldest child was 13. She said she watched her five children struggle to death one by one, after they spent several days on the road to Tawila, located some 65 kilometers from al-Fasher, the last major city controlled by the Sudanese Army in the Darfur region, which has been besieged by the Rapid Support Forces for the past year.

“In just two days I lost two daughters and three sons, and shortly before, I lost my husband. I still ignore if he is alive or dead. Even if I find him how can I tell him that his five children are dead,” said Salwa, who is in her forties.

“I cried a lot hoping my tears will wake them up from their coma. I can't describe my feelings back then. I wished I was dead instead.”

Salaw, who is pregnant, said the family left al-Fasher on foot carrying water bottles. “But due to high temperatures during the daytime hours, the water ran out on the third day,” she explained.

The grieved mother has now reached the Tawila town to join thousands of other families that were displaced from al-Fasher due to fighting between the Army and the RSF.

“Many families lost their children on their journey to Tawila, currently controlled by the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdul Wahid al Nur,” said Adam Rijal, spokesman for the General Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugees.

“The displaced are living in dire humanitarian conditions and need basic necessities such as food, drinking water and shelter,” he said.