In a tragic incident, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reported that 11 individuals lost their lives, and numerous others sustained injuries due to Sudanese army air raids on El Daein, the capital of East Darfur.
This city holds significance as the hometown of RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti.
The army acknowledged conducting strikes on military targets in El Daein, asserting that it successfully obliterated a weapons depot affiliated with a designated terrorist militia. The army’s WhatsApp channel claimed the elimination of “field commanders and Dagalo terrorist mercenaries” in the operation.
Expressing dismay, the RSF, through the X platform, revealed that nine of the casualties belonged to a single family, including women and children. The attack left numerous innocent civilians wounded, and hundreds of homes suffered damage.
The RSF accused the army of deliberately targeting the “al-Neem” refugee camp, a hospital, and a water plant in El Daein. Notably, the city is deeply rooted in the Rizeigat tribe, constituting the majority of RSF commanders and fighters.
In condemning the actions, the RSF asserted that the army engaged in reprehensible and deliberate acts, characterising them as “cowardly criminal acts” for repeatedly subjecting civilians to explosive bomb attacks. The situation remains a grave concern as the aftermath continues to unfold in the wake of this distressing event.
“The attack is the latest in the series of crimes committed by [army commander Abdul Fattah al-Burhan’s militia and remnants of the former regime,” it added.
It called on international rights and human rights groups to “condemn these barbaric extremist acts against innocent people.”
The RSF captured El Daein after the army retreated from it in November.
Activists on Facebook said the army’s strikes on Tuesday targeted residential areas, while others said they hit RSF positions, causing losses in lives and damaging military equipment.
Separately, witnesses said clashes erupted again in the capital Khartoum. They said the RSF shelled army positions with heavy artillery in the general command area.
