Um Dafuq, June 30 (Darfur24)
Seleka rebel forces seized the Central African border town of Am Dafok on Tuesday morning after launching an assault on government positions, multiple local sources told Darfur24, in a development that is expected to heighten insecurity along the border with Sudan.
Am Dafok, located in the Central African Republic’s Vakaga Prefecture, lies directly across the border from the Sudanese town of Um Dafuq in South Darfur State.
Sources said the offensive began at around 6:00 a.m. from the Al-Dahn border area along the Sudan-Central African Republic frontier. The attack was led by Noureddine Adam, leader of the Popular Front for the Renaissance of the Central African Republic (FPRC), with the participation of field commander Abdullah Juma, widely known as “Zango,” who is originally from the Am Dafok area.
The seizure of Am Dafok comes days after Seleka forces captured the nearby areas of Um Karmaya and Bir Suleiman following clashes with Central African government forces and Russian fighters allied with them, according to the sources.
The sources said the fighting in Am Dafok resulted in an unspecified number of casualties. Around 40 wounded people were transported across the border to Um Dafuq Hospital in Sudan for treatment, where six later died from their injuries. Civilians fled the violence and sought refuge at the compound of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Am Dafok.
The Sudan-Central African Republic border has experienced recurring security tensions in recent months amid the deployment of Russian forces supporting the Central African government and accusations of attacks targeting Sudanese herders and traders operating in the border region.
The capture of Am Dafok marks the latest escalation in a strategically important border corridor that serves as a key transit point for people and goods between Sudan and the Central African Republic. The area has also become an important entry route for thousands of Sudanese refugees fleeing the conflict in Darfur and other parts of Sudan.