Sudan denies UAE’s claims of attack on ambassador’s Khartoum residence | Abdel Rahim Dagalo returns to Darfur to oversee Fasher fighting | Fighting persists in capital

Fighting continues in Khartoum and Bahri for the fifth consecutive day. Military forces from Omdurman crossed the Fatihab and White Nile bridges into Khartoum early Thursday morning, supported by the air force, bringing back the conflict to the capital, where the war, now in its 17th month, first broke out.

Heavy clashes persist at the Armored Corps’ front in the Shagara military area, southern Khartoum, along with artillery exchanges near the General Command in central Khartoum. The military’s air force continues to target Rapid Support Forces (RSF) positions in southern Khartoum, including the vicinity of Khartoum Sports City and the Mujahideen neighborhood, where the residence of the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to Khartoum is located.

On Monday, Abu Dhabi accused the Sudanese Armed Forces of targeting the residence.

While the military and Sudanese Foreign Ministry denied the Emirati accusations, a military source told Mada Masr that the ambassador’s residence had been converted into a military base serving the RSF.

The RSF controls the upscale Mujahideen neighborhood with its tall buildings, located in southern Khartoum on the highway connecting the city with Wad Madani, the capital of Gezira State.

Meanwhile, in North Darfur, the military launched airstrikes on RSF positions east of Fasher and near Mellit. A local source told Mada Masr that RSF Deputy Commander Abdel Rahim Dagalo has returned to Darfur from the Central African Republic to oversee operations in Fasher. A Sudanese intelligence source told Mada Masr that Dagalo is intent on capturing Fasher at any cost. 

UAE-Sudan diplomatic war 

Amid intensifying clashes in Khartoum, the Sudanese public woke on Monday to a statement from the Emirati Foreign Ministry accusing the Sudanese Armed Forces of targeting the residence of its ambassador in the capital — a claim that the military denied.

The UAE Foreign Ministry strongly condemned what it described as a “heinous attack” by a Sudanese military aircraft, targeting the residence of the UAE ambassador and causing extensive damage to the building, it said. The ministry demanded that the military assume full responsibility for what it called a “cowardly act.”

The UAE further stated that it would file a letter of complaint to the Arab League, the African Union, and the United Nations regarding the attack, accusing the Sudanese military of a “flagrant violation” of the principle of the inviolability of diplomatic premises. The ministry stressed the importance of safeguarding diplomatic buildings and embassy staff residences in accordance with international treaties and customs governing diplomatic relations. It denounced the attack as a criminal act and reiterated its rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism that undermine security and stability and defy international law.

The Sudanese Armed Forces condemned the UAE’s statement on the same day, denying having engaged in any such “cowardly acts” and emphasizing their adherence to international law, stating that they only target RSF positions as part of their “right to defend the Sudanese state.”

The military also stressed that it does not target the premises of diplomatic missions, UN agencies or voluntary organizations, and does not turn them into military bases and loot their assets.

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry also condemned the “false allegations” made by its Emirati counterpart, stating that it is “crucial to recall the right granted by all laws and regulations for the national army to fulfill its duty in protecting the country, its people, and its sovereignty against all aggression, and to confront mercenaries and terrorists wherever they may be, while fully adhering to international law.”

The Sudanese statement described the Emirati claims as a “desperate attempt to obscure documented international reports that expose the UAE’s nefarious role in perpetuating and fueling the war in Sudan.”

The ministry also pointed out that recent international investigative journalism has detailed the UAE’s arms supplies to the RSF and the hundreds of thousands of mercenaries it funds, which it stated are primary drivers of the ongoing war in Sudan and the accompanying humanitarian crisis.

The statement also noted the irony of the UAE Foreign Ministry denouncing terrorism and claiming adherence to international law while, the ministry said, sponsoring a militia that embodies the worst of terrorist groups and violating fundamental principles of international law.

A senior military source in the Sudanese Armed Forces general staff told Mada Masr that the forces did not breach international conventions by striking locations that he said the RSF converted into military sites. The source noted that while several diplomatic missions informed authorities of losing control over their premises and the residences of diplomats and ambassadors, the UAE did not declare that regarding its ambassador’s residence or embassy in Khartoum.

An air force military source told Mada Masr that the UAE ambassador’s residence had been converted into a military base, with several depots that the RSF uses to launch assaults on military positions already installed.

Khartoum battles 

For the fifth consecutive day, intense fighting raged between the military and the RSF in the strategic Mogran area in central Khartoum city. 

On Monday morning, airstrikes targeted RSF positions southeast of the capital and around Khartoum Sports City. Heavy and medium weapon confrontations also renewed near the Armored Corps and in Bahri.

On the same day, the military targeted RSF gatherings at the Strategic Battalion camp in central Khartoum, employing drones, heavy artillery, and airstrikes.

The military launched a major ground offensive on Thursday to regain control of key strategic sites, reclaiming northern Bahri, Halfaya bridge, and Fatihab bridge, which connects Omdurman with Khartoum.

Abdel Rahim Dagalo in North Darfur

In the west of Sudan, a local source in Fasher told Mada Masr that Abdel Rahim Dagalo has entered Sudan from the Central African Republic and is expected to lead upcoming battles in Fasher. A Sudanese intelligence source told Mada Masr that the RSF is showing clear intent to capture Fasher at any cost in a bid to secure a strategic military bargaining chip.

Meanwhile, the military launched airstrikes on RSF positions along Fasher’s eastern axis.

A source in the RSF advisory office told Mada Masr that the paramilitary group’s leadership has opted for a military resolution, with their forces preparing for an all-out war across all Sudanese states. The source said that the forces are confident that the leadership is following strategic military plans that will ultimately bring them control over the entire country.

Humanitarian aid bound for Darfur missing

Around 703 tons of humanitarian aid destined for Darfur went missing in the Northern State’s desert. The aid had departed from the city of Dabba, heading to North Darfur. A source from the 19th Infantry Division in Meroe told Mada Masr that the state’s security committee held an emergency meeting with the Humanitarian Aid Commission, the World Food Program, and representatives from international organizations. The entity that dispatched the aid filed report no. 3669 against the official responsible for overseeing the aid transport.