Um Dafuq, June 02 (Darfur24)
A military aircraft belonging to the Central African Republic (CAR) briefly entered Sudanese airspace near the border town of Um Dafuq in South Darfur State on Wednesday, flying at low altitude over the area and causing panic among residents, according to eyewitnesses.
The incident comes amid escalating fighting across the border in the Central African town of Am Dafok, where Seleka rebels said they seized control on Tuesday after clashes with Central African government forces and their Russian allies.
Witnesses told Darfur24 that the aircraft penetrated Sudanese airspace by an estimated 15 kilometers and flew over Umm Dafuq, South Darfur, without carrying out airstrikes or opening fire before returning to Central African territory.
They said Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which control the Sudanese side of the border, fired heavily at the aircraft as it flew over the area, after which it left Sudanese airspace.
The Central African government later announced that it had launched a military operation with Russian-backed forces to retake Am Dafok, warning that rebel fighters would be pursued into Sudan if they retreated across the border.
Am Dafok, in the Central African Republic’s Vakaga Prefecture, lies directly across the border from the Sudanese town of Um Dafuq, with the two towns separated by only a few kilometers.
Medical sources told Darfur24 that three Sudanese civilians were wounded by stray bullets inside their homes in Umm Dafuq during the cross-border fighting on Tuesday. They were transferred to Nyala for treatment.
In a statement seen by Darfur24, the Central African government accused rebel factions of operating mobile training camps in the border region shared by Sudan, Chad, and the Central African Republic, and alleged that they had received external support. It did not provide evidence for the claims, and Darfur24 could not independently verify them.
The offensive on Am Dafok is being led by Noureddine Adam, head of the Popular Front for the Renaissance of the Central African Republic (FPRC), alongside field commander Abdullah Juma, known as “Zango,” according to local sources.
The sources stated that the rebel coalition had moved during the past week from the border triangle linking Sudan, Chad, and the Central African Republic, establishing positions in the Al-Dahn area northwest of Umm Dafuq before launching its offensive into Central African territory.