October 8, El Fasher — The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have withdrawn parts of their forces in El Fasher, residents told Darfur24.
The Rapid Support Forces have been imposing a siege on the city of El Fasher since last April, in an attempt to overthrow it and control the last stronghold of the Sudanese army in the Darfur region.
On Sunday, El Fasher witnessed the advance of the Sudanese army and joint forces. A military source in the army, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Darfur24 that the army had reached the area of Al-Azama, Birinjia and Al-Wihda, which were under the control of the RSF.
30 combat vehicles, accompanied by four large trucks, left the town of Shangil-Tobay in El Fasher last week, according to local residents. One told Darfur24 that dozens of soldiers entered the city market to shop in a hurry, and informed residents to leave in order to repel the joint forces.
A local leader in the city of Mellit, located 65 km north of El Fasher, said that the RSF withdrew 70 combat vehicles late last month to confront the army coming from the desert and the city of Al-Daba in the Northern State. He mentioned the withdrawal of some of the bases around the Abuja camp, Jaried Al-Sail and some villages in the Umm Marahiek area south of Mellit.
The Mado area adjacent to the town of Al-Sayah, 27 km northeast of Mellit, witnessed fierce battles between the RSF and army, which left dozens dead and wounded and heavy losses in equipment on both sides last week.
Currently, the RSF control the eastern part of the city of El Fasher and parts of the southeastern part and the northern part of the city. The Sudanese Army and joint forces control large parts of the north and south of the city and the western part where the Golo Dam is located, which is the only source of water in the city.
The official spokesman for the joint forces, Ahmed Hussein Mustafa, told Darfur24 that dozens of combat vehicles arrived from the desert axis to the city of El Fasher after fighting fierce battles on their way there and inflicting heavy losses on the RSF.
Fierce battles have taken place in the city of El Fasher since the beginning of the siege last April, killing and wounding thousands of civilians and displacing over 300,000.