Al Fasher, March 2(Darfur24)
Eyewitnesses and military sources revealed the arrival of military reinforcements from the army and the joint force of the armed movements to the city of Al Malha, located 210 km >northeast of Al Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, coming from the city of Al Daba in the Northern State, with a large deployment of the Rapid Support (RSF) Forces in the areas of Al Sayah, Mado, Mo, and Mellit.
Videos verified by Darfur24 showed the arrival of four-wheel drive combat vehicles carrying soldiers from the joint force east of Al Malha.
An eyewitness in the city of Al Malha – who preferred to be coded as “Ibrahim” – revealed the arrival of large military reinforcements from the army and the joint force to the city from the Northern State to lift the siege imposed on the city of Al Fasher by RSF since last May.
He pointed out that the military manifestations in the city are clear, with the presence of new reinforcements and a large deployment of forces in Jebel Issa, north of Al Malha.
A military source in the army – who preferred to remain anonymous – confirmed to Darfur 24 that military vehicles had arrived in Darfur region, sent by the army to lift the siege of El Fasher and advance to other cities in the region.
He pointed out that the vehicles arrived last week with all their military equipment on their way to El Fasher and other areas of the region, with a focus on El Fasher.
In mid-February, the Assistant Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Yasser Al-Atta, and the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Mohamed Osman Al-Hussein, accompanied by Minni Arko Minawi, the Governor of Darfur Region, bid farewell to a number of military forces and vehicles on their way to the region in the city of Al-Daba in the Northern State.
In the same context, eyewitnesses in the city of Mellit, located 65 km north of El Fasher, said that RSF had strengthened their bases in the city and deployed snipers in the eastern and southern mountains surrounding the city.
An eyewitness, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Darfur 24 that the RSF had sent new forces to the city, estimated at more than 60 four-wheel drive combat vehicles, while the Starlink devices remained banned and the movement of residents in the city was restricted.
Witnesses in the Madu and Sayah areas said the RSF had completed their preparations to confront any advance by the army and the joint force of the armed movements towards the city of Mellit on their way to El Fasher. They had also deployed troops in the surrounding mountains and set up a number of military points and restricted the movement of citizens in the aforementioned areas.
RSF source told Darfur 24 that the information available to them indicates that the army, with the support of the joint force, intends to attack the city of Al-Koma to reach El Fasher, due to the presence of large numbers of RSF members in the areas of Sayah and the desert of North Darfur.
He pointed out that the RSF had sent reinforcements from Nyala, El Fasher and Kabkabiya to the areas of Al-Zarq, Mellit and Kutum in anticipation of any imminent attack.
In January, the areas of Half, Diqrashi, Madu, Mo and Al-Sayah in the desert of North Darfur witnessed fierce battles between the joint force of armed movements and RSF
For some time now, the joint force of armed movements has been fighting battles in an attempt to lift the siege imposed on the city of El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces since May 2024.
RSF have been trying to control the Sixth Division in El Fasher as the last stronghold of the army in the Darfur region after taking control of the divisions of Nyala, Zalingei, Al-Geneina and Al-Da’ein in 2023.