The Sudanese army, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, have accused each other of destroying a major bridge connecting northern Omdurman to northern Khartoum Bahri.
This bridge is one of the key crossings in the capital, which is divided by the Nile River into three cities. It is the third bridge destroyed since fighting began in mid-April 2023.
The army claimed in a statement that the “terrorist militia of Dagalo,” referring to the RSF, damaged the eastern part of the Halfaya Bridge on Saturday night, causing severe structural damage.
The statement said this was part of the RSF’s efforts to destroy infrastructure to cover up their failures and prevent the army from completing its mission.
On the other hand, the RSF accused “al-Burhan’s militia and Islamic Movement brigades disguised as the army” of destroying the bridge to cover up their repeated losses.
The RSF claimed the army had hired foreign experts and mercenaries to help destroy the bridge to stop an RSF attack on the Wadi Sayidna military area.
The Blue Nile and White Nile rivers meet in central Khartoum to form the Nile River, dividing the capital into Khartoum, Omdurman, and Bahri. Several bridges link these areas, and three of them—Halfaya, Shambat, and Jebel Aulia Dam bridges—have been destroyed in the ongoing conflict.
Moreover, civilians in Sennar and Blue Nile state have fled the conflict in fear, with tens of thousands leaving their homes. Witnesses estimate that around 50,000 people have fled Senga city, along with many from nearby villages.
Sennar has seen large-scale displacement as residents fear an RSF takeover, despite a strong army presence. Social media reports indicate that Sennar is nearly empty, with residents escaping after the RSF captured Senga.
