Sudan Nashra: RSF faces successive defeats in North, West Darfur | Military encircles Jaili, Jebel Moya as fighting continues in Khartoum for 10th day

In the Mogran area to the west and the Shagara military area in the south, military operations in the Sudanese capital continue to intensify as the Sudanese Armed Forces make a push to advance toward the Presidential Palace and the General Command in Khartoum City. The operation, which has played out over the last ten days, aims to loosen the Rapid Support Forces’ grip on the capital.

The balance of military power in Khartoum shifted significantly when the armed forces crossed the White Nile and Fatehab bridges from Omdurman on September 26, launching their first offensive on the capital since the war broke out. 

In Bahri, northern Khartoum, the military is steadily expanding its foothold. Following its entry via the Halfaya bridge from Omdurman on September 27, the military captured Drushab and Halfaya, and is now stationed at the main road leading south toward the old city. From there, it will try to push toward the Signal Corps camp.

The military’s expansion into the Bahri countryside, specifically in the Kabashi area, has placed the RSF troops stationed at the Jaili oil refinery under a near-complete siege. Forces from the Third Division in Shendi are closing in on the RSF from the north, while military troops from Kabashi are advancing from the south and forces from the Hattab operations base are stationed to the east. Moreover, the military has cut off the RSF’s supply route from Kadro to Jaili after capturing the area last week. This leaves the RSF with only the Nile River to the west.

In the Darfur region in western Sudan, the conflict spilled over into West Darfur State, a front that had previously remained relatively inactive as it was under RSF control. This week, however, has seen intense military operations, with the armed movements’ joint force and popular resistance groups capturing several strategic areas, positioning themselves in close proximity to the capital of Geneina.

Moreover, the joint force secured significant victories over RSF troops in North Darfur’s desert, securing territorial gains, a source in the office of Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi told Mada Masr.

On the political front, a senior official in the Transitional Sovereignty Council who spoke to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity expressed Sudan’s outrage over remarks made by US Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello concerning the potential deployment of African Union forces in Sudan.

On the humanitarian front and amid the surge of fighting in the capital, around 500,000 people — particularly in southern Khartoum, which is still predominantly under RSF control — are grappling with hunger and a surge of epidemic diseases. Meanwhile, Médecins Sans Frontieres announced the suspension of its operations at its clinic in Kalakla in southern Khartoum due to security threats and a dire shortage of medical supplies. 

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Ground operations intensify in Khartoum

For the tenth consecutive day, intense confrontations persist between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF in Khartoum and Bahri. 

On September 26, the military launched a large-scale ground operation, crossing several bridges in the capital — Fatehab, White Nile, and Halfaya — and advancing with its forces from Omdurman into Khartoum and Bahri. Simultaneously, forces from the Armored Corps, Kadro military area, Signal Corps, and General Command expanded into the surrounding areas, while forces advanced from Shendi in River Nile State toward the Jaili oil refinery north of Khartoum.

In southern Khartoum, clashes reignited around the Armored Corps camp in the Shagara military zone as the armed forces attempted to push north to link up with forces that had crossed the Fatehab and White Nile bridges from Omdurman.

A military officer told Mada Masr that Armored Corps forces are clearing the Lamab neighborhood and have captured an RSF camp in the area. However, the officer pointed out a major challenge, namely dealing with RSF snipers positioned in the tall buildings of the Rowad residential compound. Once this challenge is overcome, the Armored Corps could make significant strides toward central Khartoum, the source said.

The officer also noted that Armored Corps forces are moving southward toward the Kalakla neighborhoods to set up advanced defenses, wary of a potential ambush on the military’s rear lines.

The RSF holds most of the southern Khartoum areas, including the Jebel Awliya Dam and military area, all the way to the southern regions of the White Nile State.

In the Mogran area in central Khartoum, where fighting persists, the military, heavily deploying drones, artillery, and armored vehicles, continues to hold areas along the Nile Street leading to the Presidential Palace, a few hundred meters before the RSF-held Tuti bridge to the east.

Moreover, the military continues to launch intensive assaults, including incursions targeting RSF troops stationed at the Strategic Battalion camp near Jackson Square and along the Fatehab bridge road from Khartoum. In response, the RSF has reinforced its position, deploying additional troops and equipment in the area.

In Bahri, field sources told Mada Masr that confrontations have been ongoing, after the military crossed into the city via the Halfaya Bridge on September 27. The military is pushing to advance toward the Signal Corps after linking up its forces with troops stationed at the Weapons Corps camp in the Kadro military area in northern Bahri.

Field sources also said that the military conducted combing operations throughout Halfaya's neighborhoods and set up several checkpoints, while RSF fighters retreated southward to Shambat, where they are amassing troops in preparation for decisive confrontations.

A field source said that the military advanced in the southern Drushab area, recapturing the police station that the RSF had been using as a detention center and to manage military arrangements.

To the north, the military advanced to the Kabashi area, expelling RSF fighters, according to a military source in the Kadro military area. Reclaiming this area places further pressure on RSF troops stationed at the Jaili oil refinery, the source said. Control of Kabashi effectively traps the RSF from the south, with forces from Shendi stationed in Bakash near Jaili encircling them from the north, while forces at the Hattab operations base hold the eastern front.

On Tuesday, Transitional Sovereignty Council head and military Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visited the front lines at the Kadro camp and the Hattab operations base in Bahri.

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New battlefronts in Darfur, successive RSF defeats

The conflict in Darfur is expanding as more forces from military-allied armed movements advance into West Darfur in a bid to reclaim the state capital of Geneina and cut off RSF supply lines from neighboring countries.

A source from the armed movements told Mada Masr that intense battles erupted on Tuesday in the Jebel Moon and Wadi Bir Dgeig areas, 28 kilometers from Geneina. The armed movements managed to defeat RSF forces, capturing several of their fighters and seizing or destroying combat vehicles.

The source added that more reinforcements are being sent to this front, suggesting that the fighting could soon reach the outskirts of Geneina.

The RSF captured the capital in June 2023, during which time UN organizations, the International Criminal Court, and the UN’s Panel of Experts documented massacres and war crimes committed against the Masalit ethnic group.

Fighting also flared up on multiple fronts in North Darfur. Military sources from the Sixth Infantry Division in Fasher told Mada Masr that, on Wednesday, armed movements and popular resistance forces managed to capture the RSF military base at Bir Mazza, 28 kilometers north of RSF-held town of Kutum.

According to a source in the armed movements’ joint force, the RSF incurred significant losses in the battle at Bir Mazza, including dead, injured, and captured fighters. Several RSF combat vehicles were destroyed or seized. The base was one of the RSF's key fortified positions, the source said, serving as a main hub for fuel and weapons supplies and as a base for gathering and training troops before deploying them to the front lines.

A source in the office of Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi told Mada Masr that the armed movements’ joint force secured a victory in the Bir Mazza area, near Zurug and Wadi Maghreb to the north of Kutum.

Control over Bir Mazza paves the way for the military to engage the RSF in areas around the Zurug base, which is the key supply center for the RSF in Darfur.

On Tuesday, clashes erupted in the town of Mado, 27 kilometers northeast of Malit, between the armed movements and the RSF. Both sides claimed victories. The joint force stated on Wednesday that they inflicted heavy losses on the RSF in the 12-hour battle, destroying several vehicles and capturing others. Meanwhile, an RSF field source told Mada Masr that they had neutralized military units comprising hundreds of vehicles from the armed movements coming from Northern State and foiled their attempt to reach Fasher to support their besieged forces there.

In Fasher, local residents told Mada Masr that the intensity of attacks has waned compared to previous weeks, with only minor skirmishes occurring on Wednesday as the military attempted to clear neighborhoods still occupied by RSF elements. Residents confirmed, however, that the RSF’s indiscriminate shelling of the city persists.

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Military nears full control of Jebel Moya 

Since early Wednesday, the military has been advancing on the outskirts of Jebel Moya from two fronts. Jebel Moya, seized by the RSF in June, holds strategic significance. Its capture effectively cut off White Nile and North Kordofan states from Sennar — a strategic state in central Sudan, particularly after the fall of Wad Madani to the RSF in December 2023.

A military source from the General Intelligence Service told Mada Masr that simultaneous operations have commenced on both the northern and southern fronts of Jebel Moya.

Units from White Nile’s 18th Division are advancing on the northern front. In the south, the military,  backed by the General Intelligence Service’s newly rebranded military wing, the Anti-Terrorism Force, formerly known as the Operations Authority, are making slow advances in some locations, intensifying the siege from the southern front and cutting off the RSF’s supply lines.

The source expects the operations to continue given the rough terrain in the area, which the RSF uses to its advantage.

A field source told Mada Masr that the military is leveraging the RSF’s withdrawal from significant areas in Sennar to deploy forces in Fasher and may employ airstrikes and drones to disperse RSF forces in the Jebel Moya axis.

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Total humanitarian collapse in south Khartoum

A member of the Southern Belt emergency room told Mada Masr that the health sector in the area has collapsed, exacerbated by severe environmental pollution caused by the rainy season. The pollution, which includes medical waste, has resulted in an unprecedented mosquito infestation, leading to outbreaks of cholera, followed by malaria, typhoid, and dengue fever, all of which continue to spread rapidly.

The medical office has documented 31,770 cases of dengue fever, including 77 deaths, the emergency room member said. Malaria cases have reached 11,121, with 32 deaths, while typhoid has affected 2,144 people, causing 12 deaths. Meanwhile, there have been 177 reported cases of cholera, though no fatalities have been registered.

The source noted that these statistics were collected from hospitals, private clinics, and health centers, but said that many cases go unrecorded as they are unable to access hospitals. Large numbers of people are dying at home, the source added.

According to a ministerial source at the Federal Health Ministry, over 35,000 people in Sudan have now been infected with cholera.

Meanwhile, Medecins Sans Frontieres announced the suspension of its activities in Kalkala in southern Khartoum until further notice, effective September 30. The agency stated that its teams continue to work around Bashair Hospital and other areas but are also facing security threats.

MSF stated that the decision to suspend operations at the Shaheed Wadaatallah clinic follows three incidents of armed robberies within one month.

“Due to barriers imposed by warring parties to deliver humanitarian aid,” the statement said, supplies cannot reach their clinic; hence, MSF teams are facing shortages of critical medicines, preventing them from providing life-saving care.

The agency stated that they remain committed to providing care to those in need, only with “the guarantee of the safety of our patients and staff and with adequate supplies.”

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Transition Sovereignty Council criticizes US Envoy’s remarks on AU peacekeeping force

Comments made by US Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello concerning the potential deployment of African Union forces in Sudan to protect civilians have made waves in the last week.

Speaking in a Wednesday meeting in Kenya with civil society representatives, Perriello reportedly said, “We have opened channels of communication with the African Union regarding its preparation to equip and prepare forces for intervention, with the aim of protecting civilians in Sudan.” 

The comments were picked up by Asharq Al-Awsat, whose correspondent was in the meeting. 

Mada Masr also spoke to a source who was present in the meeting, who added that Perriello told the meeting that the Sudanese military is relying on Islamist elements to secure military gains.

In the wake of the comments, a  senior official in the Transitional Sovereignty Council told Mada Masr that Perriello's remarks demonstrate ignorance of the Sudanese context and the circumstances that led to the outbreak of the April 2023 war. The official criticized Perriello for not making an effort to meet with victims in displacement and refugee camps, opting instead for closed-door meetings that ignore the agenda to end the war.

The source added that Perriello's stance reflects how detached the US administration is from the realities of Sudan’s war, as it focuses on secondary issues that can be addressed later instead of urgently working toward ending the conflict.