Sudan Nashra: Fasher clashes escalate as military amasses troops to try to break siege | Burhan discusses defense industry boost in Antalya forum | Hemedti announces presidential council

As the conflict in Sudan enters its third year, the war continues to fracture its communities along political, military and regional lines. The civilian population has borne the brunt — enduring death, displacement and the collapse of essential services — while the military-led government pushes for political and diplomatic avenues to translate its battlefield gains into a path back to regional and international legitimacy, despite a divided global stance on the war.

This week, Transitional Sovereignty Council Chair and Sudanese Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, where he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss reviving Sudan’s defense industries. He also held talks with other heads of states, including the presidents of Sierra Leone and Azerbaijan, in a bid to promote Sudan’s position and build international alignments.

Meanwhile, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Commander Mohamed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo announced the formation of a presidential council as part of a forthcoming parallel government with his allies in the Tasees coalition — a move that further deepens the divide between Sudan’s factions as the conflict enters its third year.

On the battlefield, the military has been amassing troops in the city of Dabba in the Northern State, preparing for a push toward Darfur to break the siege on Fasher. The RSF has likewise mobilized forces near the city, launching several offensives seeking to capture it and bring all five Darfur state capitals under its control. RSF Deputy Commander Abdel Rahim Dagalo is personally leading the Fasher campaign.

In Omdurman, one of the three cities that make up Khartoum, the military pushed further west, closing in on the last RSF pockets in the capital.

In Kordofan, the military launched a new campaign aimed at retaking territory in the region’s southern, western and northern states, and reopening the road linking North Kordofan’s Obeid with South Kordofan’s Dalang.

Further north, in the city of Atbara in River Nile State, the RSF shelled power transmission stations, causing blackouts across the entire state and areas in the neighboring Red Sea State.

The war’s second anniversary also saw the London Conference on Sudan convene on Tuesday, drawing international attention to the country’s crisis but notably excluding any Sudanese representation. Disputes between Egypt and Saudi Arabia on one side and the United Arab Emirates on the other ultimately prevented the release of a closing statement with tangible steps toward ceasefire talks.

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Burhan discusses reviving Sudan’s defense industry on Antalya Diplomacy Forum sidelines

At the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Transitional Sovereignty Council Chair Abdel Fattah al-Burhan attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey on Saturday, as part of Sudan’s effort to reassert its diplomatic presence and reaffirm its regional role during a critical juncture for the country, a source in the sovereignty council who accompanied Burhan told Mada Masr. 

A Foreign Ministry source described Sudan’s participation as a valuable opportunity to communicate its perspective on regional and international issues and explore avenues for economic cooperation with friendly countries.

On the sidelines of the forum, Burhan held several high-level meetings, including with Erdogan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio.

During his meeting with Erdogan, Burhan discussed expanding joint cooperation, especially in the fields of security and defense. According to the sovereignty council source, Sudan is looking to broaden its defense sector collaboration with Turkey, seeking support to rebuild its military using Turkish defense manufacturing after the losses it incurred during the ongoing war. 

With the Azerbaijani president, talks focused on strengthening political, economic and military ties, a Sudanese ministerial source told Mada Masr. Aliyev expressed his country’s willingness to assist Sudan in sectors such as energy, infrastructure and defense. Burhan, in turn, pointed to the historical ties between Sudan and Azerbaijan and called for ministerial-level meetings to expand cooperation, particularly in defense industries.

During his meeting with the Sierra Leonean president, Burhan outlined a diplomatic roadmap and steps his government is taking to resolve Sudan’s crisis, the sovereignty council source said. Burhan referenced Sudan’s case against the UAE at the International Court of Justice and noted that legal preparations are underway to secure the Sudanese people’s rights, according to the source. 

Burhan’s meeting with Erdogan also saw Sudan formally recognize the Republic of Kosovo. A diplomatic source in the Foreign Ministry told Mada Masr that Burhan instructed then Acting Foreign Minister Ali Youssef to proceed with the recognition following his talks with the Turkish president. Youssef subsequently met with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani on the sidelines of the forum. Osmani later stated on X that the two countries agreed to establish diplomatic relations.

Burhan dismissed Youssef from his position as acting foreign minister on Thursday, following a recommendation from the acting cabinet affairs minister, the source in the sovereignty council told Mada Masr. The recommendation was based on a quarterly performance review that found Youssef’s performance fell short of coordination duties and adherence to essential ministerial expenditures. Youssef had undertaken more foreign trips than any of his predecessors, many of which were deemed unnecessary, according to the source. 

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Military amasses reinforcement to break siege on Fasher, RSF attacks city

As the RSF escalates its offensive across North Darfur in a bid to capture Fasher — the military’s last major stronghold in Darfur — the city and its outskirts have seen a surge in heavy fighting since the paramilitary group captured the Zamzam camp to its south earlier this week. Meanwhile, the military continues to amass reinforcements in the city of Dabba, Northern State, a military source and eyewitnesses told Mada Masr. 

The military build-up includes infantry battalions supported by armored vehicles, artillery units equipped with mortars and field guns, and logistical supplies such as fuel and ammunition — all intended to break the siege on Fasher, the military source said.

On Wednesday, the military’s Sixth Infantry Division said it had repelled an RSF assault on the southeastern and northeastern outskirts of Fasher. According to the statement, the division killed 70 RSF fighters, destroyed 15 combat vehicles and two fuel trucks, and struck a truck carrying mobilized reinforcements. 

On the same day, the RSF struck Fasher’s livestock market, using artillery and suicide drones, killing at least seven people and injuring several others, a local source told Mada Masr.

Fasher’s Resistance Committees stated that clashes resumed on Thursday, with the military pushing back another RSF attempt to advance from the northeast. They urged residents to exercise caution and limit movement.

The fighting on both days displaced thousands of civilians from Fasher and neighboring villages, with many fleeing toward Dabba and North Darfur’s Tawila locality, Fasher’s General Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugees spokesperson Adam Regal told Mada Masr. Residential areas have suffered significant damage from RSF shelling, compounding the humanitarian crisis as residents already face severe shortages of food and medicine, Akbar Saleh Moussa from Fasher told Mada Masr.

Following its takeover of the Zamzam displacement camp, south of Fasher, on Sunday, the RSF has continued to mobilize more fighters in preparation for an assault on the city. The group’s capture of the camp, led by RSF Deputy Commander Abdel Rahim Dagalo, has significantly tightened the siege on Fasher. 

A source in Fasher’s Sixth Infantry Division told Mada Masr that on Tuesday, before the clashes broke out, the RSF had brought in reinforcements from Nyala in South Darfur and Kutum in North Darfur.

The conflict in North Darfur has escalated markedly since January 31 with the RSF’s significant military build-up. A turning point came on March 22 with the fall of Malha, a strategic border locality and a critical gateway for food and medicine supplies into Fasher.

Meanwhile, the large-scale military mobilization in Dabba may also signal preparations to reinforce the offensives on RSF-held areas in North Kordofan, which the group uses as staging grounds for their attacks on the capital Obeid.

In the Abu Shouk displacement camp, north of Fasher, Regal stated on Thursday that dozens of the camp’s displaced residents — including community leaders and activists — were arrested in a campaign carried out by the military and the joint force. 

Regal stated that the detainees were accused of inciting others to leave the camp for safer areas like Tawila and of collaborating with the RSF. “These accusations are false and have nothing to do with the innocent, displaced people. The main goal is to oppress and eliminate them, nothing more."

Since May 2024, the Abu Shouk camp has been under continuous RSF artillery fire, with the latest shelling taking place on Thursday. The shelling has killed and injured hundreds of people and destroyed the camp’s infrastructure, Regal said, adding that the military had also launched airstrikes on the camp in January. 

Military forces and joint force units remain stationed around the camp and are preventing displaced people from leaving, Regal said, condemning these actions against civilians who are enduring hunger and a worsening water crisis after two of the camp’s water sources were destroyed by RSF shelling. 

The coordination held the military and the joint force responsible for the safety of the detainees and called for their immediate and unconditional release. 

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Military launches operations in Kordofan

This week, the military launched a campaign targeting RSF positions in the North and South Kordofan states. 

On Wednesday, military aircraft carried out airstrikes in Bara, North Kordofan, striking several RSF positions in the city and inflicting heavy losses, a local source in the city told Mada Masr.

One of the strikes targeted the Abdallah Maaruf School, which RSF fighters had been using as a gathering point and weapons depot, the source said. The attack destroyed two combat vehicles, an ammunition storage facility, and left dozens of RSF fighters dead or wounded, according to the source. 

Fighting also broke out southwest of Obeid, the state capital, on Wednesday and Thursday. The military-allied Sayyad unit captured the areas of Ban Gadeed, Um Arda, Jebel Um Hashaba and Khor following the clashes, during which they captured seven RSF combat vehicles and a BTR armored vehicle, another field source told Mada Masr. Several RSF fighters, including senior officers, were killed in the fighting, including Abu Bakr Saboun, the RSF’s artillery commander in the Kordofan sector, according to the source. 

A senior military officer told Mada Masr that the Sayyad and military forces operating near the borders of West and South Kordofan are aiming, in the first phase of the campaign, to reach the areas of Debeibat, Hammadi and Khawi. The goal is to break the siege on the city of Nuhud in West Kordofan, isolate RSF fighters in the south of the state and reopen the main road linking Obeid and Dalang in South Kordofan.

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Military expands in western Omdurman, prepares for major offensive

The military launched a large-scale assault on Tuesday and Wednesday targeting the last remaining RSF positions in Omdurman. A field source told Mada Masr that the military stormed the RSF’s Konan camp and advanced into the neighborhoods of Safwa and Dar Assalam in the western part of the city.

The military began a major encirclement operation on April 7 targeting RSF-held areas in western Omdurman, according to the source. The objective was to cut off the RSF’s supply and maneuvering routes and secure control over the Saderat road linking Khartoum to the town of Bara in North Kordofan State.

Clashes broke out during the operation, and the military recaptured the Central Reserve Forces Nusour camp, which had been held by the RSF and used as a major depot for weapons and ammunition, according to the source.

On Tuesday, military forces advancing from the Merkheyat area northwest of Omdurman reached Block 50 in Dar Assalam and seized the Konan camp, the source said. By Wednesday, they had linked up with other military units advancing from the Libya Market in the Kandahar area, capturing artillery and a modern jamming system in the area’s market and pushing further into the Safwa residential complex and the village of Safira. 

The military is now positioned near the Fatasha camp in the far southwest of the city. Fatasha is a strategic location that, if taken, would give the military control over the western and southern entrances to the capital, according to the source. 

In the far southeast of Omdurman, the military destroyed 10 RSF combat vehicles and killed several RSF fighters in western Muweilah on Wednesday, another field source told Mada Masr. 

The RSF still maintains its main base in Sheikh Youssef in the Salha area of southern Omdurman, in addition to its presence in surrounding neighborhoods and expansion westward to the Muweilah area, the second source said.

With the military’s advances this week, it has now consolidated control on the most strategic areas in western Omdurman and is likely to launch a large-scale offensive in the coming days to retake full control of the city and eliminate the RSF’s remaining pockets in the capital, the source said. 

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RSF drone strike targets power station in Atbara, River Nile State

On Tuesday, RSF suicide drones targeted a main power transmission station in the city of Atbara, the River Nile State, cutting off electricity across the state and parts of the Red Sea State.

For over ten days, the city of Omdurman and other towns in the Northern State have also been plunged into darkness following the latest RSF drone attacks on the Merowe Dam power transmission station on April 5 and 8. The strikes also caused severe water shortages across the affected areas. 

A source in the Sudan Electricity Distribution Company told Mada Masr that while maintenance work at the dam’s station was completed several days ago, the return of power has been delayed because security services are installing advanced jamming and protection systems at the dam and other key power stations to shield them from further attacks.

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Disputes between Cairo, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi block closing statement at London Conference on Sudan

On the second anniversary of Sudan’s civil war, the United Kingdom hosted a conference in London aimed at improving international response to the country’s crisis and facilitating ceasefire talks to end Sudan’s war. 

While the gathering, held on Tuesday, included Sudan’s neighboring countries, regional powers, the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union and the United States, it notably excluded any Sudanese representatives from either side of the war.

Speaking to Mada Masr, Bakry al-Jack, spokesperson for Sumud — the coalition that emerged from a split within the Civil Front for Democracy after some factions signed the RSF’s political charter and formed Tasees — said the success of such a conference depends on its objectives.

Jack argued that the London conference did succeed in drawing global attention to Sudan and opening space for dialogue around the stances of influential regional and global actors. However, he added that the event ultimately failed to produce any tangible outcomes due to disagreements among Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE over how to define state institutions in Sudan. The core dispute revolved around whether the final statement should link these institutions to the de facto authorities currently in control. After prolonged discussions, the parties were unable to reach a consensus on language that would accommodate their differing positions.

Jack reaffirmed Sumud’s position that there is no military solution to Sudan’s crisis, stressing that war is a choice, just as negotiations are. He reiterated the coalition's commitment to working with Sudanese actors, regional stakeholders and the international community to pursue a negotiated, peaceful resolution that preserves Sudan’s unity and lays the foundation for rebuilding a just and inclusive state.

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Hemedti announces formation of presidential council

On the war’s second anniversary, Hemedti announced on Tuesday the formation of a government and presidential council with the Tasees coalition. 

Since signing the political charter at the RSF conference held in Nairobi on February 22, the Tasees coalition, made up of armed and political groups, has repeatedly expressed its intention to form a parallel government within Sudan, though it has yet to specify where this government would be based.

Two sources within Tasees told Mada Masr that internal consultations are ongoing regarding the announcement of the new government.

Discussions on the allocation of ministerial portfolios among the signatories to the founding charter have not yet begun, according to the sources. Technical committees are still working on the process, they said, and no names have been proposed for any cabinet positions so far. The sources also said that any talk of potential nominees or the seat of the new government remains premature.