Sudan Nashra: Sudanese military reclaims Singa after RSF surrender | Joint force seizes RSF military equipment in Darfur’s desert | Burhan sets out conditions for US Envoy to end war

The Sudanese Armed Forces launched a major ground offensive on Monday in Sennar State, culminating in the recapture of the capital Singa on Saturday. The city, the Rapid Support Forces' last major stronghold in the state, fell after their forces were forced to surrender. 

The offensive also saw the military retake the town of Lakindi and surrounding areas on Friday, which added further pressure on the besieged RSF forces in Singa. The remaining RSF troops in Sennar State now face limited options: surrender, station in their strongholds of Karkoj, Abu Haggar, Dali, and Mazmum, or escape into South Sudan.

Before the capture of the city, a Sudanese military officer told Mada Masr that military operations for Singa were conducted under secrecy, with surrounding villages witnessing back-and-forth skirmishes. The officer explained that the military was pursuing a strategy of attrition to minimize casualties, aiming to capture the city with minimal losses.

In Darfur, the RSF launched its first major assault on Fasher on Thursday, escalating their campaign to capture the historic capital of Darfur and the last major central government stronghold in western Sudan. A United Nations worker was killed by RSF artillery shelling in the city on Saturday, a UN source told Mada Masr.

Meanwhile, fighting resurfaced in the Darfur desert near the Sudan-Libya-Chad border triangle, a key RSF supply route. According to the Sudanese military, the armed movement’s joint force, and a military source who spoke to Mada Masr, the military and its allied forces seized significant RSF military equipment, including dozens of vehicles, Kornet missiles, and grenade launchers. They also found identification documents and passports, including some belonging to Colombian nationals with United Arab Emirates entry stamps from Al Maktoum International Airport.

The joint force stated on Friday that all documents would be handed over to the relevant Sudanese authorities for further action, noting that United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1591 and 2736 impose an arms embargo on the Darfur region.

In the capital Khartoum, clashes intensified in Omdurman and Bahri. In western Omdurman, battles broke out near Libya Market, the RSF’s largest stronghold in the area, with the military deploying drones to target RSF positions. In Bahri, the military launched an offensive from its northern stronghold in Halfaya in the southern Shambat neighborhood. These two areas serve as strategic corridors to Bahri’s central and southernmost regions on the border of Khartoum city. A field source told Mada Masr that the military has advanced to tall buildings near the Zarqa Industrial Complex in Shambat, previously used by the RSF for Kornet missile launches.

On the political front, US Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello made his first visit to Port Sudan since taking office. During his one-day visit on Monday, Perriello met with Transitional Sovereignty Council Chair Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who narrowed an initially broader agenda to two key points: humanitarian aid delivery and the implementation of the Jeddah Agreement, an informed sovereignty source told Mada Masr. Burhan presented a framework for enforcing the agreement and raised concerns about the humanitarian aid routes being exploited to supply arms to the RSF. While Perriello suggested resorting to an international force to protect civilians and ensure aid delivery, as well as initiating a ceasefire process, Burhan rejected these proposals, insisting that the RSF must first adhere to the outcomes of the Jeddah Agreement, another sovereignty source told Mada Masr.

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Military reclaims Singa in Sennar in days-long operation

The Sudanese Armed Forces announced on Saturday that it has recaptured Singa, the capital of Sennar State in southeastern Sudan, from the RSF after weeks of siege.

A military source told Mada Masr that the military had been mobilizing its forces on Singa’s outskirts for several days under the supervision of war operations command and with direct oversight from the military’s Deputy Commander-in-Chief Shams Eddin Kabbashi, who oversees military operations in the eastern and western axes.

According to the source, the military dismantled the RSF’s advanced defenses around Singa while imposing a siege on the city from three main axes. Military leaders reached out to RSF commanders to surrender. However, RSF initially refused and opted for withdrawal, but as the siege tightened and the military advanced, the RSF was eventually forced to surrender, according to the source. 

The operation to reclaim Singa began at 4 pm on Friday, the source said, with troops advancing from the western axis as heavy artillery shelled the eastern and northern fronts. Special operations forces advanced to within four kilometers of the city to dismantle RSF defensive positions.

By 8 am on Saturday, the military had killed a significant number of RSF fighters stationed in the city, securing full control between 9 am and 10 am.

A military officer told Mada Masr that operations in Singa were conducted under secrecy. The villages surrounding the city were witnessing back-and-forth skirmishes as the military sought to minimize losses by engaging in battles of attrition. However, the officer noted that advancing into the city’s outskirts and center were challenging due to RSF’s extensive network of collaborators and mobilized fighters, as well as the region’s difficult terrain and weather conditions.

The wide-scale ground offensive to recapture Singa, the capital of Sennar State in southeastern Sudan, began on Monday. 

Three sources monitoring developments on the ground told Mada Masr that the military fully secured Bardana Bridge and Bridge 8 east of Singa on Tuesday. The RSF attempted to reclaim these areas on the same day, but the military repelled the attack, and redeployed in Mina village north of Bridge 8 to guard its rearlines against potential RSF attempts to encircle their forces, the sources said.

By Thursday, the military had regained control of the town of Lakindi following intense clashes with the RSF, a field source told Mada Masr. Troops from the Fourth Infantry Division in the Blue Nile region, supported by fighters under the command of Mayor Saleh Kuri —  one of the most prominent leaders of mobilized fighters — defeated RSF forces in Lakindi and surrounding areas, forcing them to retreat to Karkoj after suffering significant casualties, according to the source.

The source added that retaking Lakindi and the advancing Fourth Infantry Division forces from the southeastern front placed more pressure on RSF forces in Singa, which were already under attack from the city’s eastern and northern outskirts.

On Friday, the military released footage of its forces inside Lakindi, showing its control over key sites, including the police station.

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RSF’s first major assault on Fasher

Intense battles continue in Fasher for the second consecutive week. On Thursday, the RSF launched their first major attack at night, targeting military and joint force positions in an attempt to penetrate the city center and secure new positions.

A source in the military-allied armed movements told Mada Masr that they repelled the attack with ground forces supported by the Air Force, which heavily shelled RSF convoys and positions in eastern Fasher. The source also said that the military airdropped military and logistical supplies to the Sixth Infantry Division camp in the city.

A local source told Mada Masr that the military conducted several airstrikes on RSF positions in Malit, Kuma, and Kabkabiya in North Darfur. Meanwhile, the RSF continues to mobilize and dispatch fighters to the battle in Fasher, the source added.

On Saturday, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher wrote on his X account: “Have landed in Port Sudan to the terrible news that an air strike on a marketplace in el Fasher has claimed many lives, including that of my UNOCHA Sudan colleague Sadig Andosa.” 

While Fletcher did not specify how Andosa died, a source in the UN told Mada Masr that he was killed in the RSF’s shelling of Fasher. 

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Darfur desert war resurfaces as joint force seizes substantial RSF military equipment

This week, fighting moved to the desert near the Sudan-Chad-Libya border triangle.

On Thursday, the Sixth Infantry Division reported that the joint force intercepted an RSF supply convoy, seizing several combat vehicles loaded with weapons, as well as drones and heavy weaponry. The division also noted finding identification documents belonging to foreign mercenaries of different nationalities, some of whom were killed in the operation.

A source in the armed movements told Mada Masr that they ambushed an RSF convoy in the desert outside Fasher, capturing advanced weaponry and ammunition following a battle that began Wednesday evening and continued into Thursday morning. Videos circulated by the armed movements showed seized military equipment and the identification documents belonging to foreign fighters.

In a statement on Friday, the armed movement’s joint force reported cutting off a major military and logistical supply route in an operation near the Sudanese-Libyan-Chadian border, seizing substantial military supplies en route to the RSF and foreign mercenaries.

According to the statement, the seized supplies included advanced weaponry and vehicles held by African and South American mercenaries, including seven armored cars and 25 new four-wheel-drive vehicles. They also stated that they captured large quantities of ammunition and heavy weaponry belonging to the UAE Armed Forces, notably a significant number of Kornet anti-tank missiles, which they said were en route to Sudan.

The joint force also found foreign passports, bank cards, and personal photographs linked to the mercenaries, the statement said, including Colombian nationals. Their entry visas were stamped at Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport in October, according to the statement.

The joint force emphasized that the transfer of these arms to Sudan, particularly to Darfur, constitutes a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions 1591 and 2736, which impose an arms embargo on Darfur. The joint force pledged to hand over all documents and findings to the relevant Sudanese state institutions, warning that the country is facing a large-scale conspiracy by countries and entities seeking to exploit its resources through global corporations and transnational mercenaries in blatant disregard of international laws.

The statement called on the international community to take immediate action and pressure countries supplying arms and military equipment to the RSF to halt the flow of weapons.

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Intense clashes in western Omdurman, military attacks RSF in Shambat, Bahri 

In Sudan’s capital Khartoum, fighting continues along two main fronts: the Ombada area west of Omdurman, where the military is attempting to advance toward Libya market and seize surrounding neighborhoods, and Bahri, according to two military sources and a resident who spoke to Mada Masr.

A resident of Ombada told Mada Masr that battles are ongoing in Hara 29 and on the outskirts of Libya market, the RSF’s largest stronghold in western Omdurman. The military is deploying drones to strike RSF positions, while the ongoing RSF artillery fire caused several casualties as it often hits civilian homes, the source said.

In Bahri, a field source told Mada Masr that the military advanced to tall buildings near the Zarqa Industrial Complex in Shambat neighborhood, which RSF forces used for Kornet missile launches and to house jamming equipment used for disrupting drone operations.

The field source added that the military seized RSF ammunition and weapons and is preparing for an offensive to reach the Signal Corps camp, now just a few kilometers away but heavily guarded by RSF fighters stationed in tall buildings.

In eastern Khartoum, the state’s government accused RSF forces of looting and assaulting residents of the Siyal al-Faki Saad area and forcing them to evacuate. According to the Thursday statement, residents fled on foot over three days to reach Wad Hassouna in Khartoum’s East Nile area.

Meanwhile, Khartoum’s South Belt Emergency Room reported that approximately 200 civilians have been killed and 120 injured over the past two months due to ongoing military operations in southern Khartoum.

The emergency room’s statement reported a dire deterioration in healthcare services and severe shortages of life-saving medications and treatments for chronic illnesses in South Belt neighborhoods. It also noted overcrowding in Bashair hospital’s morgue due to unclaimed bodies.

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Burhan rejects US Special Envoy proposals in first visit to Port Sudan

In his first visit since assuming office, US Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello met with Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Chair Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Monday in Port Sudan, the country’s temporary administrative capital. The visit, delayed for nearly a month, lasted one day.

Initially planned to address a broad range of issues, Burhan narrowed the agenda to two key topics, implementing the Jeddah Agreement and facilitating humanitarian aid, according to an informed sovereignty source who spoke to Mada Masr.

During the meeting, Burhan presented Perriello with a framework for enforcing the May 2023 Jeddah Agreement as envisioned by the Sudanese government. This included measures for reclaiming areas captured by the RSF since the agreement's signing. Burhan also outlined a plan for troop positions, establishing controlled military zones and monitoring mechanisms that the military could adopt.

According to another sovereignty source familiar with the meeting’s details, Burhan said that while all humanitarian corridors are technically feasible, the UAE is undermining them by repurposing them for military use. This, Burhan argued, has compromised trust in international relief efforts, the source said. Burhan told Perriello that over 30 trucks loaded with weapons entered the region since the Sudanese government opened the Adre crossing, hence it was no longer possible for the Sudanese military or government to trust any relief operations by countries whom the source described as “corridors of arms” to the RSF.

Burhan told Perriello that the government can’t make any commitments unless the RSF changes their approach to humanitarian operations, according to the source. Burhan also pointed out that the RSF looted a large stockpile of humanitarian aid, or purchased it through looting and smuggling networks.

The source said no implicit agreement was made between Perriello and Burhan on specific agenda points. Instead, Burhan reiterated his commitment to ending the war under certain conditions, stressing that he cannot halt ongoing military operations or declare a ceasefire on any front without a commitment from the RSF to cease their crimes and operations. 

Regarding the Adre crossing, Burhan expressed concerns about its operation, particularly as the RSF seized several aid trucks in Kabkabiya, the source said.

A Humanitarian Aid Commission official who spoke to Mada Masr confirmed that aid trucks en route to Zalingei in Central Darfur State were detained in Kabkabiya, North Darfur.

A third sovereignty source told Mada Masr that Perriello emphasized the need to establish a comprehensive humanitarian process followed by arrangements for a ceasefire. Perriello also suggested the possibility of deploying international missions or forces to separate warring factions, protect civilians, and ensure aid delivery. However, Burhan rejected these proposals as long as the RSF fails to adhere to the outcomes of the Jeddah Agreement, the source said. 

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Norwegian, Swiss Envoys in Port Sudan for humanitarian, political talks

Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Youssef met with the Swiss Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Sylvain Astier on Thursday in Port Sudan.

According to a source in the Foreign Ministry who spoke to Mada Masr, Youssef outlined the Sudanese government’s vision for achieving peace and discussed ways to expand humanitarian aid for Sudanese citizens, the source said.

Astier reiterated his country’s commitment to supporting Sudan, stressed the need to hold perpetrators of violations accountable and rejected external interference, the source said. Astier also commended the Sudanese government’s efforts to facilitate humanitarian operations.

On November 20, Burhan met with Norway’s Special Envoy to Sudan Andrea Astaisen in the presence of Acting Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Omar Eissa.

Eissa told Mada Masr that the meeting addressed humanitarian aid issues, including concerns about the performance of Norwegian-backed organizations and proposals that could exacerbate the crisis, such as international intervention and the use of unofficial crossings. The discussion also covered developments in Sudan’s ongoing political process.

Eissa said that Burhan emphasized the government’s commitment to facilitating the operations of all organizations and countries providing humanitarian aid to Sudan and directed relevant authorities to expedite and streamline procedures in this regard. The meeting also explored developments in the political process, according to Eissa. This marks Astaisen’s second visit to Sudan, during which he is scheduled to hold additional meetings with Sudanese officials, Eissa said.

Describing the meeting as positive and productive, Astaisen emphasized Norway’s commitment to supporting the Sudanese people, Eissa said, and proposed initiatives to enhance the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Astaisen commended the Sudanese government for opening of the Adre border crossing for aid delivery, calling it a significant step. He condemned atrocities committed in Gezira State and other regions, particularly violations against women and children, according to Eissa. Astaisen denounced the killing of innocent civilians as a blatant breach of international law and human rights, urging accountability for those responsible for these crimes.