Airstrikes in West and South Darfur, fighting rages on in Sudan capital

The Sudan Air Force launched an air raid on El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, and continued targeting Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, yesterday morning. Fighting continued in the capital, Khartoum, and its sister city Omdurman.

Listeners In the area said they saw an Antonov plane flying over El Geneina, followed by loud explosions in the eastern part of the city, around 01:00.This is the first such attack on El Geneina since the outbreak of war between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023. There were no reported casualties.

Journalist Alaaeldin Babiker told Radio Dabanga from El Geneina that the SAF bombed El Shaheeda Sabeera International Airport east of Ardamata. “The bombing left residents in a state of terror, fearing a repeated attack on El Geneina.

“It is clear that the raid aimed to destroy the airport, so that it could be used for other purposes,” Babiker said, adding that “the bombing shook El Geneina and destroyed parts of the runway, and one of the lounges of the airport”.

In South Darfur, the SAF continued bombing Nyala, the state capital, last night, where it targeted Nyala Airport “with three barrel bombs”, according to local testimonies.

The RSF has controlled El Geneina since November 2023, after fierce fighting with the SAF. In the early days of the war, El Geneina witnessed several massacres that killed thousands of civilians, in what has been described as an ‘ethnic cleansing’. Most of its residents sought refuge in eastern Chad, including Sultan Saad Bahreldin, head of the native Dar Masalit tribe.

A resident of Dereij, Nyala, said he heard explosions coming from the direction of the airport, but he did not know the extent of damage caused by the bombing.

In a statement yesterday, the Darfur Justice Platform condemned the intensified air campaign on residential areas in the cities and villages of Darfur. “For two days in a row, warplanes claimed the lives of innocent civilians in Nyala, El Zurug, El Geneina, White Nile state, El Gezira, and Sennar, destroying public facilities and places of worship, a clear war crime and crime against humanity”.

Large swathes of the capital, Khartoum, and its sister city Omdurman, witnessed exchanges of fire between the SAF and the RSF, since yesterday morning, locals said. Residents said that heavy fighting in Omdurman took place near the Sudan Radio station, northeast of El Morada.