Darfur follow up: Elfasher
Clashes have been renewed since Wednesday morning in the city of El Fasher, preceded by Antonov aircraft in a pre-emptive strike that left dozens dead and wounded after the Rapid Support Forces launched an attack on advanced positions of the army command yesterday,
These tensions resulted in the closure of shops in El Fasher grant market following air strikes this morning in the east of the city, which sparked fear and panic among citizens.
According to eyewitnesses, the Rapid Support Forces “used drones in a new attack on advanced positions of the Sixth Infantry Division Command, located west of the city of El Fasher.”
Violent clashes took place with heavy weapons between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, as a result of which civilians were wounded and homes were destroyed, with a wave of displacement of residents of the northern and eastern neighborhoods of El Fasher to safer areas in the city center and outside the city.
Shells fired by the parties to the conflict fell towards the “Al-Takarir” neighborhood and Al-Wohda east, causing severe damage to a number of homes.
Meanwhile, the governor of North Darfur, “Nimir Muhammad Abdel Rahman”, sent a voice message from his residence in Juba this Wednesday morning, asking both sides of the conflict to give citizens an opportunity to leave the city of El Fasher to a safe place in order to preserve their lives before engaging in clashes.
He called on citizens to stay away from military facilities, and this came following the indicators that emerged and the intention of both parties to fight.
According to journalist Zamzam Khatir, the mediation committee and the wise men in El Fasher have been managing the crisis skillfully and thoughtfully with both sides of the conflict over the past six months so that the city is not dragged into bloodshed chaos and to preserve lives and property. It has exerted its utmost effort in doing so, but it seems that the torrent has reached its peak.
El Fasher hosts thousands of displaced people who fled to it from Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, in addition to those fleeing from Central and West Darfur previously.
