El Fasher: Sulafa Muhammad Ahmed
The city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, witnessed security stability throughout the war, which lasted for more than seven months, which made the citizens of the other states of Darfur and Khartoum resort to it to stabilize the situation there, but it quickly turned into a clash zone between the army and the Rapid Support, in which they used light weapons and… Heavy.
Military aircraft flew over El Fasher on Thursday morning for the second day, and launched air strikes on targets in the city, with the sounds of ground anti-aircraft missiles getting louder.
During the current week, the city of El Fasher witnessed fierce battles between the army and the Rapid Support, and the shells left comprehensive destruction of citizens’ homes, turning them into rubble, and dozens of dead and wounded among civilians. The efforts of the civil and community mediation committees to maintain the stability and security of the city collapsed in previous times, amounting to The tension is at its peak, waiting for the eruption of the volcano of battles that has already been sparked.
The neighborhoods north and east of El Fasher witnessed a large displacement of citizens following the exchange of fire between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, in addition to the aerial bombardment by Antonov aircraft on the Rapid Support bases, which caused the destruction of a number of citizens’ homes.
This morning, the city of El Fasher witnessed a cautious calm after the clashes that took place between the army and the Rapid Support, and the residents of El Fasher fear a renewal of the conflict, especially after the escalation in the pace of battles between the two sides.
The governor appeals
Meanwhile, Nimr Muhammad Abdel Rahman, the governor of North Darfur, appealed to both sides of the conflict to give citizens time and give them the opportunity to leave the city and areas of potential clashes to safe places in order to preserve their lives before engaging in the clashes.
In a voice message from his headquarters in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, he expressed his regret over the situation in the city of El Fasher, to which people fled from a number of cities and states in search of security.
The governor called on citizens to stay away from military headquarters and facilities, thanking the Permanent Ceasefire Committee and the armed movements that worked diligently and dedicatedly to spare the city from fighting.
For the past six months, a committee of mediation and elders in El Fasher has been managing the crisis by mediating between the two sides of the conflict to spare the city from battles, but it seems that its efforts collided with the reality of the inevitable clash this time.
The governor demands
However, the governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minawi, confirmed that he is in contact with all parties to avoid war in the city of El Fasher, the capital of the region, which is crowded with large displacement from the cities of Nyala, Kutum, Tawila, Kabkabiya, El Geneina and others, in addition to the fact that it has become the only artery to feed all of Darfur.
In a tweet on his account on the “X” platform, Minawi called on the “Rapid Support” forces to avoid attacking the cities of El Fasher and El Geneina, “which have a displaced person in every inch of them,” or that they “received an undeserved punishment of killing and displacement,” adding, “as long as negotiations Ongoing in Jeddah, you must focus on negotiation.”
El Fasher hosts large numbers of people fleeing the violence witnessed in the states of South and West Darfur, in addition to housing thousands of displaced victims of previous wars that took place between the army and armed movements in the region located west of the country.
