El Fasher, October 1 (Darfur24)
Residents east of El Fasher, North Darfur, have reported the installation of several towers along the national road linking El Fasher and El Obeid, raising questions about their intended purpose.
Three independent sources from Al-Koma town, 78 kilometers east of El Fasher, told Darfur24 that the towers were erected in recent days by a group of foreign experts. The structures are believed to be intended for jamming, radar, and early warning systems.
One source said that about 70 French-speaking foreigners, traveling in four-wheel-drive and combat vehicles equipped with jamming devices and escorted by heavy security, installed the first tower in Umm al-Hussein, 130 kilometers east of El Fasher. The team then moved to Umm Kadada, 178 kilometers southeast of the city, where they erected additional towers on Umm Kadada Mountain.
Two other sources confirmed the installations, adding that further towers were set up in Jebel Halah, 230 kilometers southeast of El Fasher, as well as in Brosh and Umm Kadada, all key points along the El Fasher–El Obeid highway.
The team reportedly conducted field visits to Donki Abyad and Wadi Abu Azaam last Friday but did not install any towers at those locations.
A source close to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) told Darfur24 that the foreigners arrived in Nyala, South Darfur, in early September and surveyed mountainous areas across Darfur before beginning the installations.
The areas where the towers were installed are strategically located along mountain ranges connecting Darfur to Kordofan and lie on the main national road linking Darfur, Kordofan, and Khartoum through two routes: Al-Obeid–Kosti–Khartoum and Al-Obeid–Bara–Omdurman, known as the “export road.”