Sudanese army airstrikes hit RSF in Nyala, Darfur official says

NYALA — A Darfur regional government official said on Sunday that recent Sudanese army airstrikes on Nyala inflicted heavy losses on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to Anadolu Agency, which cited Sudan's state news agency SUNA.

Nyala is the capital of South Darfur state. Anadolu Agency reported that Ahmed Ishaq Shanab, information minister and spokesman for the Darfur regional government, called the latest strikes "painful" for the RSF. According to the report, he said they caused heavy losses in personnel and equipment. Anadolu attributed his comments to SUNA.

Army account of the strikes

Anadolu Agency reported that the Sudanese army said on Friday it had carried out airstrikes on RSF command centers and positions in Nyala. According to the agency, the army described the city as an administrative and military hub for the paramilitary group.

The army said the strikes killed dozens of RSF fighters and destroyed several command centers, Anadolu reported. The agency did not give a precise toll or list the sites that were hit.

Anadolu said Shanab told SUNA the RSF was "not safe" in Nyala or anywhere else. He said the army would keep pursuing the group as far as Um Dafuq, near Sudan's border with the Central African Republic, according to the report.

He also said military operations against the RSF were continuing and that new areas were coming under army control. Anadolu reported that he did not say which areas.

RSF claim and verification

Anadolu Agency reported that the RSF separately accused the army on Friday of a drone strike on a livestock market in Nyala. The group said the attack caused civilian casualties, according to the agency. The report gave no figures for those casualties.

Anadolu said it was unclear whether the strike the RSF described was the same operation the army announced. It also said the casualty figures and the nature of the targets could not be independently verified.

Background

According to Anadolu Agency, Nyala serves as an administrative and military center for the RSF and for forces allied with it under the Sudan Founding Alliance, known as Tasis.

The agency reported that the RSF controls most of the five states that make up Sudan's Darfur region. Parts of North Darfur and West Darfur remain under army control, it said. The army controls most of Sudan's other 13 states in the north, east, center and south, including the capital, Khartoum, according to Anadolu.

The army and the RSF have been fighting since April 2023, Anadolu reported. It said the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, worsening an already severe humanitarian crisis.

This report relies solely on Anadolu Agency's account of statements by the Sudanese army, the Darfur regional government and the RSF. Those claims could not be independently confirmed.