El Fasher, July 24(Darfur 24)A number of Sudanese army( SAF )soldiers in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, confirmed on Wednesday that a hunger crisis has become a threat to them in the ongoing fighting against the Rapid Support Forces( RSF), which has lasted for more than two years.
A number of soldiers in the military divisions fighting alongside the 6th Infantry Division told Darfur 24 that hunger has become the greatest threat to the lives of fighters these days, prompting hundreds of them to flee and forcing some to rob the homes of those fleeing El Fasher.
Darfur 24 learned from informed sources in the 6th army Division in El Fasher that the hunger crisis has created discontent among soldiers and opened the door to the manipulation of funds previously transferred from the headquarters last January to the commanders of the military divisions fighting in El Fasher to purchase food supplies for the soldiers.
The sources confirmed that the army command has formed an investigation committee with the commanders of all divisions, including the mobilized forces and the joint force, regarding these reports, which point to poor living conditions among the fighters.
There are four military divisions in El Fasher that had previously withdrawn from their command centers, which were controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Nyala, Zalingei, El Geneina, and El Daein. They are now fighting with the 6th army Division in El Fasher.
A soldier affiliated with the 16th Infantry Division of Nyala , currently fighting in El Fasher, along with dozens of soldiers who withdrew from Nyala in October 2023, following the division’s fall to the Rapid Support Forces, said, “The lack of food has become the biggest obstacle threatening the cohesion of the fighters these days, forcing dozens of them to flee, while others have joined the ranks of the Rapid Support Forces.”
He added, “We have lost a number of our comrades as a result of the daily attacks launched by the Rapid Support Forces on the city. We are still fighting with the army , but hunger is threatening our steadfastness these days.”
The soldier indicated that the poor rations have exhausted the soldiers and depleted their energy, negatively impacting the majority of them in the fight. This has prompted some of them to flee El Fasher, holding command of the 16th Division responsible.
For his part, a soldier from the 21st Division, Zalingei, told Darfur 24 that El Fasher has witnessed a large number of soldiers from the 21st Division deserting in recent months, the most recent of whom were three soldiers who deserted last week.
This is in addition to a number of them defected from the army and joined the ranks of the Rapid Support Forces, all due to poor living conditions and low wages. He continued, “El Fasher is currently experiencing an unprecedented rise in food prices, in addition to the scarcity of most food items in the markets. Salaries are insufficient for the needs of soldiers and their families. Therefore, the blame lies with those who manipulate the military recruitment budget.”
A soldier from the 20th Division, “Al-Da’in,” expressed his dissatisfaction in a statement to Darfur 24 about the poor living conditions among the fighters in the army’s ranks in El Fasher. He explained that some soldiers are now unable to carry their weapons because hunger has exhausted their bodies.
He said, “This is a disgrace to the Sudanese army leadership.”
Meanwhile, an officer commanding the 6th Infantry Division, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed to Darfur 24 that they had received reports indicating the poor conditions of a large number of soldiers in El Fasher.
He said that the budgets for the military divisions in El Fasher are separate, and that the Sudanese army command sends the budget of each division to its command to secure food supplies for the fighters.