Sudan Nashra: Intensified clashes in Fasher | Nairobi declaration sparks controversy ahead of Civil Front for Democracy foundational conference

Two weeks after one of the most consequential battles in the year-long war in Sudan began, the fighting in Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, has taken a dangerous turn, with the Rapid Support Forces turning from probing skirmishes with the military and allied joint forces on the outskirts of the city to using heavy artillery and short-range missiles. 

The attacks have left hundreds dead and injured. 

The battle for the city, months in the making, is the military’s last stand in Darfur, which has made it a rallying point for various Darfuri groups who are worried about what a RSF-controlled region would look like. But the fighting is not just a matter of territorial control between the rogue paramilitary group and the military. 

Fasher’s hundreds of thousands of residents and displaced people are now facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. The RSF is aiming to force the residents out of the city through a scorched-earth strategy, reminiscent of tactics employed throughout the country during the ongoing fourteen-month conflict. 

This strategic shift comes despite the fact that the RSF amassed around 13,000 soldiers and hundreds of combat vehicles on the outskirts of Fasher in preparation for the battle, according to military sources speaking to Mada Masr.

Meanwhile, in the northern region of the tri-city Sudanese capital of Greater Khartoum, the Jaili oil refinery, Sudan’s largest oil facility, has been engulfed in flames. The fires consumed a portion of the refinery’s storage facilities amid continued intense battles that have persisted for the second consecutive month.

Many Sudanese military forces and allied armed movements, as well as civilians, have been killed or captured in the Jaili battlefront. Among the casualties is a former military officer and a prominent figure of the Sudanese revolution Lieutenant Mohamed Sadig. 

Sudanese Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan arrived in the  River Nile State, north of Khartoum early this week to extend condolences to the families of the deceased, emphasizing that the real war against the RSF has now begun.  

In Juba, talks between the Sudanese government and the faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdel-Aziz al-Hilu hit an impasse regarding the delivery of humanitarian aid to Blue Nile and South Kordofan states. Both sides traded blame over the breakdown in negotiations.  

As for the Civil Front for Democracy, the group is preparing for its foundational conference in the coming days in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. The front’s leader former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok took strides by signing the Nairobi declaration with the SPLM-N (al-Hilu) and a faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur in the presence of the Kenyan President William Ruto. While Hamdok signed the declaration with Hilu in his capacity as the front’s leader, he chose to identify himself solely as the former Prime Minister in the proceedings with Nur. This unilateral move has sparked concerns within the front. The front’s spokesperson stated that a meeting will be held to address this development.

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Kornet missiles and rocket launchers turn Fasher into hell

The ongoing battles in Fasher have the RSF seeking to seize control of the city while the military and allied armed movements defend their stronghold in Darfur in the western reaches of Sudan. 

The RSF is imposing a complete siege on the city, while the military and armed movements maneuver to pressure the RSF out of the city through strategic surges and retreats at advanced positions. 

During this week, the RSF has begun using short-range missiles in an attempt to force the population to evacuate the city. 

Over the course of just one week, more than nine heavy artillery shelling operations have targeted Fasher’s southern and northern neighborhoods. The RSF is currently using the elevated terrain surrounding the city in the east and northeast, granting the paramilitary strategic advantage and greater targeting capability to shell peripheral and central neighborhoods. 

A military source from the Sixth Infantry Division in Fasher told Mada Masr that the RSF’s indiscriminate use of Katyusha rockets and Kornet missiles in their attacks triggered widespread panic among residents and displaced individuals in some areas of the city. 

Moreover, a medical source from the Saudi Maternity Hospital in Fasher told Mada Masr that the RSF targeted three medical facilities on Sunday and Tuesday, resulting in damage to their infrastructure.

A member of the Fasher emergency chamber told Mada Masr that there is a severe shortage of drinking water, with only about 150 barrels distributed in the past week to shelters and schools housing displaced persons — a third of the required amount. Outbreaks of severe diarrhea and skin diseases have been reported in several schools sheltering displaced persons.  

With the outbreak of war, Sudanese youth have mobilized to establish medical emergency chambers to respond to humanitarian and medical needs and extend various forms of assistance. 

A source from the Darfur regional government told Mada Masr that over 250,000 displaced individuals in Fasher are now grappling with hunger and thirst, amid a tight siege that the RSF has imposed since April 15.  

On the ground, a source from the joint force — the military-aligned unit composed of members from the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement — told Mada Masr that the RSF’s positions are approximately 30 kilometers away from the city, yet the artillery shelling continues to strike Fasher. The source added that the RSF has begun employing tactics mirroring those that had been observed in Khartoum, imposing a wide-ranging siege and utilizing heavy artillery almost daily to instill fear among the populace. They then launch rapid waves of attacks to deplete the military defenses.

The source also said that the RSF is employing 160mm caliber artillery shells, which can be fired from a range of around 45 kilometers. This, coupled with their positioning in the eastern highlands, grants the RSF greater targeting capability. This strategic advantage has foiled the Sudanese Air Force's attempts to target RSF’s military equipment and rocket launchers set up in various areas throughout the week.   

Another military source in the joint force who spoke to Mada Masr speculated an impending escalation in the battle for Fasher. The source added that the RSF have increased their mobilization around Fasher, signaling upcoming waves of assaults, estimating the number of RSF fighters at around 13,000, stationed across three battlefronts: north, northeast, and west of the city.   

On Wednesday, the RSF attacked and captured the Abu Shouk camp northwest of Fasher before being driven out by the military and allied forces following intense clashes within the camp that resulted in property damage and around 12 deaths, with several others wounded. 

The spokesperson for the General Coordination for the Displaced Persons and Refugees in Darfur, Adam Rajal, told Mada Masr that 60 percent of Abu Shouk residents, primarily from the northern sector, were forced to flee to unknown locations due to the confrontations on Wednesday. 

Rajal said that the displaced individuals have been subjected to extensive violations at the hands of the RSF, including looting, theft, torture, and firing gunshots within their homes.

Since the onset of the fighting, Abu Shouk camp has continued to be a battleground. According to a local source who spoke to Mada Masr, the RSF set fire to the main market on April 16, resulting in over 60 deaths due to their indiscriminate shelling. Furthermore, airstrikes persisted over the city for two hours following the fall of Malit on April 15.   

Over the two months since the RSF laid siege to Fasher, Abu Shouk camp has been subjected to around 15 attacks. The RSF incursions into the camp have often escalated into intense clashes.   

According to a civil source from within the camp who spoke to Mada Masr, Abu Shouk camp witnessed catastrophic assaults on May 13 and 14 when the RSF launched about 15 rockets at the camp, while employing Kornet missiles to strike peripheral sites within the camp. This led to extensive fires in some residences and several casualties. North Darfur’s Health Committee has yet to provide an accurate death toll due to the challenges of accessing areas within the city amid the ongoing RSF indiscriminate shelling.    

The population at Abu Shouk camp has surged since July 2023, with displaced groups seeking refuge there, particularly from the Tawila locality where around 12 villages were burned in North Darfur. These fires resulted in the displacement of over 850,000 individuals to the outskirts of Fasher city. 

The RSF is attempting to evacuate residential areas in Fasher to tighten the siege and control vast areas to hinder the armed forces’ ability to conduct airdrops or retrieve airdropped supplies for Fasher’s Sixth Division.

Conversely, the armed movements, supported by military battalions, regained control of some areas surrounding Fasher to the north. Intermittent skirmishes persist in the city's vicinity, according to field sources who spoke to Mada Masr. 

Field sources from the armed movements said that their forces chased RSF forces out of the city and secured the northern outskirts known as the Malit gate.

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Battles in northern Khartoum. Burhan: The real war begins now

In northern Khartoum, clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and allied armed movements against the RSF escalated earlier this week near the Jaili oil refinery. 

During a visit to offer condolences to the family of a former military officer who was captured and executed by the RSF on Sunday, Burhan pledged to crush what he described as enemies and avenge the officers, soldiers, and the Sudanese people. 

Several weeks ago, the military, supported by armed movements and mobilized forces, began advancing toward the RSF forces entrenched at the refinery since the outbreak of the war. Previous confrontations saw the military imposing a siege and cutting off RSF supply lines. However, on Monday, RSF forces maneuvered past the military’s defenses, inflicting severe losses in both personnel and equipment. 

A field military source told Mada Masr that the military had ceased its advance toward the Jaili refinery, seven kilometers away, due to the presence of minefields and pending clearance operations by engineering teams. The clashes primarily involved limited operations employing heavy weaponry and drones. 

The source said that on Monday at 6 am, RSF forces managed to outmaneuver the military through Wadi al-Arus and subsequently breached the military’s defense perimeter. 

The main battle unfolded in the eastern sector and lasted for three hours before the military and allied forces retreated due to ammunition depletion toward the Basabir area south of Shendi city, where another battle ensued between the attacking force and other military-affiliated units stationed in the region. 

The military’s withdrawal from the eastern sector led to the dispersion of the remaining units, subsequently regrouping and reinforcing their positions, causing the RSF forces to fall back to their defenses at the refinery, the source said. 

The military lost 12 officers in the battle, according to the source, with two others captured, in addition to casualties, injuries, and other prisoners in the armed movements ranks. Notably, the RSF captured and killed a former military officer, Lieutenant Mohamed Sadig, during the clashes.

News of Sadig’s execution circulated on social media platforms. Sadig was a prominent military officer who had aligned himself with the revolution and declared protection for the sit-in protesters outside the General Command in April 2019. 

Pro-RSF platforms shared video footage showing his arrest, assault, and pictures of his body on the ground after being shot.  

During the previous transitional government that assumed power following the ousting of former President Omar al-Bashir’s regime, Sadig reached retirement age. However, when the war broke out, Sadig reenlisted in the military, answering the military leadership’s call for retired officers to mobilize. He contributed to training the popular resistance movement.  

While extending condolences to Sadig’s family in Matamma city in the River Nile State, Burhan reiterated that the battle is ongoing, pledging to crush the enemies and avenge the deceased, vowing to reclaim the rights of the Sudanese people. Burhan stated that the military leadership had decided to reassess and reinforce the popular resistance movement, forming a fully armed brigade composed of the mobilized to engage on the frontlines. 

Concurrently, the Sudanese Air Force carried out intense airstrikes that lasted until the early hours of Wednesday on RSF targets at the Jaili refinery, where flames were seen rising from within.  

The RSF spokesperson stated that the military air force bombarded the Jaili refinery with explosive barrels leading to its complete destruction. 

On the other hand, informed military sources told Mada Masr that the refinery strike was a preemptive measure in response to the RSF’s reinforcement of their troops in the area. The military air force also targeted fuel depots and oil refining lines utilized by the RSF for their logistical needs.

Observers fear extensive destruction targeting key structures and refinery control rooms, potentially causing an environmental catastrophe and significant material losses.  

The market value of the Jaili refinery is estimated at $3 billion, according to a source in engineering at the refinery speaking to Mada Mar. 

Moreover, military sources told Mada Masr that the military targeted buildings where the RSF forces were entrenched, in the police towers in the Shambat neighborhood in Bahri, as well as artillery platforms in the city, which had been targeting military bases and residential areas in western Omdurman. 

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Juba talks collapse

The Sudanese government and SPLM-N (al-Hilu) traded blame for the collapse of the Juba negotiation round concerning the delivery of humanitarian aid in war-affected regions in South and West Kordofan and Blue Nile states.   

The negotiations in Juba were based on a preliminary agreement signed a week prior on the entry of humanitarian aid, but swiftly faltered in achieving a shared vision, leading to the government delegation’s departure for Port Sudan before reaching a final agreement on the matter. 

Sudanese Defense Minister Yassin Ibrahim, who led the Sudanese government’s delegation, expressed disappointment over the collapse of the negotiation round, attributing it to the SPLM-N delegation’s lack of commitment to the mediation committee’s directives. 

Speaking at a press conference in Port Sudan on Monday, Ibrahim said that the movement’s delegation failed to present any draft agreement and responded in a non-committal manner to the government's draft, neglecting the core issues related to delivering aid to the citizens in the affected regions.   

Ibrahim called for separating humanitarian efforts from political or security agendas, stating, "The movement insisted on involving the RSF rebel militia in the negotiations, which demonstrates the SPLM’s alignment with the grave violations perpetrated by the terrorist militia against the Sudanese people."   

In contrast, the SPLM-N stated that they had put forth a proposal to involve all warring parties in Sudan and sign a ceasefire agreement to facilitate aid distribution in all war-affected regions.   

The SPLM’s delegation spokesperson Gatiqa Amuga Delman told Mada Masr that the government delegation included — as a form of disguise — civilian representatives alongside the defense minister and four officers from the General Intelligence Service. Delivery of humanitarian aid was not their objective, Dalman added.    

Dalman said that the government proposed establishing an aerial bridge to transport what they claimed to be aid to the 14th Division headquarters in Kadugli, the 22nd Division headquarters in Babanusa, and the 10th Division headquarters in Abu Jubaiha.   

Dalman added that the SPLM’s delegation presented three proposals: first, delivering aid without signing an agreement, citing a previous experience in securing relief trucks for the World Food Programme in November 2023 without the need for a formally signed agreement. 

The second proposal, Dalman said, involved each party individually signing agreements with United Nations agencies under the supervision of South Sudan as a mediator. As for the third proposal, it entailed the inclusion of all warring parties in signing a ceasefire agreement in order to prevent any party from obstructing aid delivery to those in need. However, Dalman said that the Port Sudan government rejected the proposal.   

Vast areas in South and West Kordofan and regions in the Blue Nile State are grappling with diminishing access to food and medicines. UN agencies have warned about the grave risk of worsening conditions, potential famine, and a looming humanitarian catastrophe.

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Turmoil within the Civil Front for Democracy ahead of foundational conference 

Political and organizational upheaval has unfolded with the Civil Front for Democracy after its leader former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok signed the Nairobi declaration with the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur in his capacity as "former Prime Minister” rather than the front’s head. The same declaration was signed with Hilu, but in Hamdok’s capacity as the front’s leader. Nur and Hilu also signed the same declaration, which advocates for the principles of secularism, pluralism, and the right to self-determination in Sudan. 

In the wake of these signings, prominent figures within the National Umma Party raised objections about Hamdok's endorsement of the Nairobi declaration, citing what they found to be contentious clauses. Members affiliated with the National Umma Party convened to denounce Hamdok's actions and called for comprehensive reforms within the front.  

Meanwhile, the front’s spokesperson Bakry al-Jack told Mada Masr that the front would convene to discuss this matter. 

The front is set to hold its long-awaited foundational conference at the end of the current month with expected broad participation from the political groups that make up the front, alongside civil society organizations and media figures. The foundational framework is expected to be endorsed through an electoral process, along with a number of political and organizational documents. 

The front is confronted with several challenges, primarily stemming from political and organizational disputes. According to internal sources who spoke to Mada Masr, there are three undisclosed currents seeking to shape the conference based on different political perspectives. However, the rift between the National Umma Party and Hamdok reveals that there are significant divides among the front’s stakeholders that could compromise internal organizational efforts aimed at holding a foundational conference that contributes to building the front’s vision of ending the war.