{"id":20070184,"date":"2024-01-31T15:31:24","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T14:31:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20070184"},"modified":"2024-01-31T22:10:45","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T21:10:45","slug":"armed-groups-skirmish-in-sudan-safe-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/armed-groups-skirmish-in-sudan-safe-state","title":{"rendered":"Armed groups skirmish in eastern Sudan \u2018safe state\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The government of El Gedaref in eastern Sudan has deported forces affiliated with the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Minawi (SLM-MM) on Monday, following \u201cisolated and limited friction\u201d with members of another SLM faction east of El Gedaref town.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The El Gedaref state government said on Sunday it received a \u201cgroup of forces from the SLM-MM, led by Brig Gen Yahya Hasanein. They were temporarily hosted in Rabwa camp and transferred the following day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The state government further confirmed that the Rabwa camp, located between El Gedaref and Um Shajara, \u201chosts forces of the SLM faction led by Mustafa Tambour, with the aim of preparing, equipping, and training them for combat with heavy and advanced weaponry, to join the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLimited and isolated skirmished occurred between elements of the two movements\u201d, it said, adding that the situation \u201cwas contained by transferring SLM-MM forces to another camp in El Gedaref\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Monday, SLM-Tambour accused the state governor of El Gedaref of \u201callowing SLM-MM forces into Rabwa camp without prior notice\u201d, adding that the camp was \u201callocated to SLM-Tambour by the president of Sudan\u201d and rejecting the presence of Minawi\u2019s forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SLM-Tambour spokesperson El Tijani Abdallah told Radio Dabanga that his group is \u201cready to clash with Minawi\u2019s forces if they do not leave the camp by Monday evening. We have raised the matter with [chairperson of the Sovereignty Council and army commander] Abdelfattah El Burhan\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residents of the area who spoke to Radio Dabanga warned of \u201csimmering tensions\u201d between various rebel forces in El Gedaref, adding they were \u201cdissatisfied with their presence in the state\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moataz Mohamed, a listener from El Gedaref, said that the villagers living in the vicinity of the Rabwa camp had previously rejected the forces\u2019 presence near their homes, \u201cbut authorities refused to move them elsewhere\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawyer Ramzi Yahya said he regrets the presence of armed groups in \u201cone of the safe states far from active battle zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is no point in the presence of multiple armed groups, as it can negatively impact safety and stability in El Gedaref,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Encircle El Gezira\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A military analyst, who spoke to Radio Dabanga under the condition of anonymity, said that the presence of SLM-MM and SLM-Tambour forces in El Gedaref \u201caims to encircle El Gezira\u201d, which came under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in December 2023<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn line with the directives given by Malik Agar<\/a>, vice president of the Sovereignty Council, and Blue Nile Governor Ahmed El Omda to rebel combatants to move from Ed Damazin towards El Gezira, we cannot rule out that the Minawi forces that arrived in El Gedaref are the same forces that were trained in Eritrea, and are likely to be also dispatched to El Gezira\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military sources told Radio Dabanga last week that six military camps<\/a> have been established in the Eritrean Gash-Barka region neighbouring Sudan, where fighters of  armed groups from eastern Sudan and Darfur are being trained.<\/p>\n