Nyala, October 27 (Darfur24)
Hundreds of citizens in several towns across Darfur staged mass demonstrations on Sunday, celebrating the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) partial takeover of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State.
Celebrations were held in Nyala, Zalingei, El Geneina, and El Daein, and were addressed by officials of the regional founding government.
The 6th Infantry Division in El Fasher, captured by the RSF, was the Sudanese army’s last major military command in the Darfur region.
Several demonstrators interviewed by Darfur24 expressed their joy at the RSF’s control over the division’s headquarters, saying they had lost relatives in the fighting.
“This victory is a gift to the martyrs who sacrificed themselves for this day,” one participant said.
Addressing the march in Nyala, Youssef Idris, head of the state’s civil administration, described the RSF’s capture of El Fasher as “a continuation of the liberation of Sudan from the Islamic Movement Army.”
A Darfur24 correspondent observed large crowds in Nyala, including participation by members of the civilian administration, amid heavy gunfire heard from early morning hours. Several civilians were reportedly injured.
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses reported that residents began leaving public markets and the Geneina bus station as traders in Nyala’s main market closed their shops, fearing looting amid the heightened tension.