Sudan Nashra: Ongoing RSF incursion in Sennar | Military secures gains in Omdurman | Central Sudan faces famine risk

The war’s new battleground in Sennar took an unexpected turn earlier this week as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured the state's capital, Singa.

The unforeseen scenario has complicated the military’s mission to reclaim Gezira State, which borders Sennar, and allows the RSF to advance toward Sudan’s border with South Sudan, posing unprecedented risks for Sudan.

Events unfolded rapidly. Sudanese Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visited his troops in Sennar city on June 29 to plan the recapture of the strategic Jebel Moya area, which fell into the RSF’s hands last week. While Burhan was being briefed by the state governor and armed forces leaders on the military and security situation, RSF commanders in Gezira State Abu Agla Keikel and Abdel Rahman al-Bishi were leading their forces toward Singa, just 72 kilometers away. 

Burhan had barely concluded his visit when the RSF released video footage and photos from outside the military’s stronghold in Singa, the 17th Infantry Division, a display of control over the state’s capital and its government facilities.

Singa’s capture and the RSF’s infiltration of Sennar, Sudan’s second most important agricultural state, constitutes a significant setback for the military. The armed forces were racing the incoming rainy season to regain control in Gezira State after the RSF’s advance there in December, and to reconnect the western and eastern states and ensure the movement of food supplies and civilians as famine threatens western and central Sudan.

Meanwhile, the military achieved a new breakthrough in Omdurman, one of the three cities that make up the capital, Khartoum, capturing the strategic Doha neighborhood on Tuesday as part of its ongoing urban warfare in the capital. The advance paves the way for access to RSF-held areas in the west and south of Omdurman and, ultimately, for the city’s recapture.

On the political front, the Civil Front for Democracy has welcomed the participation of armed movements in its upcoming conference for intra-Sudanese dialogue scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in Cairo. However, the front stressed its condition that the National Congress Party and Islamists should not be included.

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How did the RSF infiltrate Singa? 

On June 25, the RSF captured the strategic Jabal Moya axis connecting the states of Gezira, White Nile, and Sennar, after their forces clashed with the military’s defenses. The military attempted but failed to reclaim the area.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a security source in Sennar city told Mada Masr that the RSF infiltrated the city’s western neighborhoods. However, forces from the Operations Authority — the military wing of the General Intelligence Service — repelled the attack, pushing the RSF back.

But the attack on western Sennar appears to have been a feint. A former military intelligence source told Mada Masr on condition of anonymity that the attack on Sennar was merely a maneuver by the RSF. The source said that the military failed to anticipate the RSF's tactics, despite recurrent patterns. Drawing parallels to the fall of Wad Madani in December, the source pointed out that the RSF deployed similar tactics in its raid on the town of  Abu Quta in Gezira, which allowed the paramilitary’s forces to outmaneuver the military and attack Wad Madani at the time.

While the RSF engaged the military in Sennar city, its forces advanced along the White Nile State and infiltrated Singa, according to the source. Singa was vulnerable, the source added, due to its weaker defenses as the military’s main focus was on Sennar — its primary line of defense.

A source from the 17th Infantry Division in Singa told Mada Masr on condition of anonymity that concentrating defenses in Sennar left Singa exposed, admitting that the events in Singa represent a failure of the division’s leadership. While denying that the division’s leadership was subject to a security breach, the source said that in war, anything is possible, and that only specialized military units can confirm or deny whether the leadership has been compromised and take appropriate decisions accordingly. 

Another source from the military forces in Sennar State told Mada Masr on condition of anonymity that the armed forces are currently engaged in wide-ranging operations around Singa, aiming to expel RSF fighters from the areas they infiltrated. 

Meanwhile, local sources told Mada Masr that the RSF has reached the Dindar region, and that the military withdrew from the 67th Brigade camp in Mazmum, adjacent to the South Sudan border.

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What are the implications of Singa’s battles?

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a former Sudanese military source told Mada Masr that the RSF’s advance into Sennar State opens new fronts which are likely to strain the military and force it to change tactics. The military’s plans since the RSF’s advance in Gezira in December will need to be revised if the paramilitary continues to mobilize and shift battles from Gezira to Sennar, the source said.

More importantly, according to a source in the General Intelligence Service who spoke to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity, shifting military operations to Sennar means that the RSF is nearing the border with South Sudan. This proximity could facilitate the delivery of military supplies to the RSF through smuggling routes, boosting its capabilities in Gezira and Sennar. Additionally, there is a heightened risk of military operations extending to the strategically important Gadarif State. To counter this, the military must regain the initiative and strike deep into the RSF’s positions in Gezira and Khartoum, the source added.

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Sennar’s strategic importance 

Sennar State lies in the clay belt stretching along Sudan’s savanna and is the second most important agricultural state after Gezira. 

Sennar is a key producer of millet, cotton and gum arabic. In 2023, the state produced around 10,000 tons of raw gum arabic, helping to offset the loss of South Darfur — one of the country’s largest producers of gum arabic — to the RSF in November.

The state is also home to the Sennar Dam, built in 1925 by British colonizers for hydroelectric power generation and to irrigate the Gezira Scheme — the largest irrigation project globally and one of Africa’s largest agricultural projects. Cotton has also been an economic cornerstone in the Gezira Scheme and similar projects in Sennar.

In addition to food security, grain mills and electricity production, Sennar is strategically crucial for linking the eastern and western states after the capture of Gezira’s capital, Wad Madani, by the RSF on December 15, 2023. Sennar connects the Gadarif, White Nile, and North Kordofan states and borders South Sudan. The southernmost Sudanese military point is just about 150 km from Renk city in South Sudan.

Sennar has also become a refuge for around 80,000 displaced people fleeing Gezira State, Sennar’s Health and Social Development Minister Ibrahim al-Awad Ahmed told Mada Masr. The state has become a hub for humanitarian organizations to deliver food to various areas in the Blue Nile and White Nile states.

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Agricultural season jeopardized as citizens flee Sennar

A source from the Sennar State government told Mada Masr on condition of anonymity that the RSF's incursion has already displaced around 64,000 citizens, with more expected to flee to the White Nile, Kassala, and Gadarif states. The rough terrain, worsened by the onset of the rainy season causing streams and valleys to overflow, has made it a significant challenge to leave the state.

According to Sudanese initiative Missing, by Friday, 95 children were reported missing since the RSF’s attack on Singa, out of a total of 206 residents reported missing by the initiative. 

A source from the Agricultural Bank of Sudan told Mada Masr on condition of anonymity that the RSF’s attack on Sennar State has jeopardized the summer agricultural season, which heightens the risk of famine in central and western Sudan, especially as the rainy season has cut off roads.

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Omdurman battles continue

Ongoing confrontations continued between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF along the Omdurman axis in western Khartoum.

A field source told Mada Masr on condition of anonymity that the military has fully secured the Doha neighborhood, west of Omdurman, following intense battles with the RSF, who withdrew after incurring losses to their personnel and equipment.

The source added that the military launched their assault on RSF positions early Tuesday morning supported by troops from the Central Reserve Forces, the General Intelligence Service’s Operations Authority, and forces affiliated with the Justice and Equality Movement. Shortly afterward, they established control over the neighborhood, notorious for its dense sniper presence on top of high buildings.

The military seized two armored vehicles, several combat vehicles, as well as weapons and military equipment, according to the source.

The source added that Doha’s capture paves the way for advancing to reclaim the entire Ombada al-Sabeel neighborhood west of Omdurman.

The Sudanese military released video footage showing the liberation of 20 women who had been detained by the RSF in the Ombada al-Sabeel area. The footage also showed Burhan and Yasser al-Atta, the assistant commander-in-chief, visiting Doha following its recapture. 

The Doha neighborhood holds significant importance in Omdurman’s urban warfare, primarily due to its proximity to the strategic Arada street, which stretches from the east to the west of the city, and the Engineers Corps camp. Moreover, it served as a headquarters and residence for many influential RSF leaders in Omdurman.

Following the RSF's loss of Doha, Karrari’s resistance coordination committee reported that paramilitary’s forces retaliated with heavy artillery shelling on the Thawra neighborhood on Tuesday evening, though no civilian casualties were reported.

Hours after the military declared control over the Doha neighborhood, Burhan arrived at the armed forces’ command headquarters in the area. Addressing soldiers and officers on Tuesday, he stated that the military would not yield to any extortion or negotiations that undermine its authority or fail to meet the aspirations of the Sudanese people.

"We are advocates of peace and do not seek war, but we will not engage in demeaning negotiations. We will only negotiate with dignity,” Burhan said.

He called on mediators to persuade the RSF to vacate civilian homes, stating, "We will not negotiate with an enemy that persists in violations or with those who support them. It is our duty to prepare for combat. We see victory ahead of us as clearly as we see you now."

Burhan stated that the military may lose battles but stressed, "We have not lost the war. If we lose individuals, the Sudanese people are many, and all Sudanese stand with the military, except for a deviant faction that supports falsehood and the RSF militia."

"This country will not accommodate us both in the future. It will be either us or them. We are committed to delivering a homeland free of rebellion to the Sudanese people. [It’s either] that or we shall perish together as armed forces," Burhan concluded. 

Atta, for his part, stressed the readiness of forces in the Omdurman military region to mobilize toward hotspots across Sudan, stating their full preparedness for securing the capital.

In a meeting with journalists in Omdurman’s Wadi Sidna military base on Wednesday, Atta outlined four conditions for any negotiations with the RSF regarding an end to hostilities: the surrender of RSF fighters and the designation of five camps for their confinement; complete withdrawal from residential areas and surrender of weapons and equipment; repatriation of foreign fighters; and judicial handover of those implicated in recent violations. The military’s demands remain consistent with previously articulated targets to contain RSF fighters temporarily until perpetrators of violations are identified and tried.

Atta ruled out any plans for a meeting between Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo in response to an African Union invitation last week for talks in Uganda between the two commanders.

Meanwhile, the two warring factions traded accusations regarding the destruction of parts of the Halfaya bridge, which links Bahri and Omdurman. 

The Sudanese military spokesperson blamed the RSF for the deliberate destruction of concrete structures on the Halfaya bridge’s eastern side on Monday. He accused the paramilitary group of systematically targeting infrastructure and vital facilities “to conceal their failures in achieving malicious objectives, thinking that this would impede the armed forces from cleansing the nation of their vile presence.”

Conversely, the RSF denied responsibility for the bridge’s destruction, counter-accusing the military in a statement on Wednesday. The RSF stated that the incident echoed previous strategies observed in the destruction of the Shambat bridge, the Gaili Oil Refinery, and an attempt to destroy the Jabal Awliya Dam.

A military source told Mada Masr on condition of anonymity that the RSF benefitted from the bridge’s destruction as it partially neutralizes the military’s ability to launch surprise attacks from positions in Wadi Sidna and Omdurman’s outskirts, especially since significant military forces withdrew to participate in Singa’s battles.

The RSF currently controls the eastern side of the bridge toward Bahri, while the military holds the western side toward Omdurman. The military had previously crossed the bridge into Bahri after fierce battles in late May, deploying all its units. However, they have since retreated back to their controlled areas at the bridge's Omdurman entrance.

The Halfaya bridge, constructed in 2010, stands as the last bridge connecting Bahri and Omdurman following the destruction of the Shambat bridge in November.

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Civil Front for Democracy welcomes armed movements in upcoming Cairo conference

The Civil Front for Democracy has reiterated its call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire between the warring factions in Sudan and the opening of safe corridors for humanitarian aid. 

The front’s spokesperson Bakry al-Jack told Mada Masr that the upcoming Cairo conference stands out for its inclusion of political and civil forces to discuss ending the war, address the humanitarian crisis, and find common ground on a political vision. 

Jack said that the armed movements involved in the conflict, including signatories of the Juba Peace Agreement, were forced to join the war. He added that their participation in the Cairo talks and their willingness to discuss ceasing hostilities represents a positive political development that should be supported. "This is what we will do as part of our efforts to defeat the war and its narratives," Jack said. 

Regarding the participation of the National Congress Party and Islamists, Jack said that the front’s position is clear and publicly stated. He stressed that the front remains firm in its condition that they be excluded from the talks, and that nothing that happens in Cairo will change this stance.