October 21, Nairobi — On Saturday, new military reinforcements from the Sudanese army arrived in the town of Al-Malha, 210 km northeast of El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, for the first time since the outbreak of the war, sources told Darfur24.
Some of the forces, including hundreds of fighters, are on their way to El Fasher and other cities in the region, a military source said. This comes as the war in Sudan enters a new phase as the army has launched a strategic offensive to retake major cities and is throwing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) off guard.
The RSF is heavily fighting to takeover El Fasher in North Darfur, the only Darfur state it does not control. But in the last few weeks it has been pushed back by the army. The battles in El Fasher have allegedly left hundreds of casualties among the ranks of the RSF, including the death of at least two commanders.
Defection of an RSF Commander
On Sunday, the Sudanese army also reported the first defection of a senior RSF commander. This would be the first move by a senior figure since the war began.
Army supporters posted photos on social media allegedly showing Abuagla Keikal — a former army officer who became the RSF’s top commander in the southeastern state of Al Jazeera — after he had defected. He also allegedly left the RSF with a large group of his forces, including 400 officers. The official army spokesman said in a statement that Keikal had now “sided with the truth and the homeland.”
A RSF leader said that Keikal only defected with three vehicles and mostly his family. He called Keikal a “traitor.”
Khartoum Advancement
Meanwhile in Khartoum, the Sudanese army has also made significant advances in the last month. It has regained control of several Khartoum, Khartoum North, and Sennar locations. It is trying to retake the Sudanese capital from the control of the RSF.
For the first time, RSF troops found themselves in a defensive position and were allegedly caught off guard by the scale of the army operations. They faced losses, particularly in the western parts of Khartoum city and northern Bahri.