RSF seize key Sudanese state capital, triggering mass displacement
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Panic has gripped Singa as thousands of residents desperately sought to flee amid intensifying combat.
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This screengrab shows a spokesman for the Rapid Support Forces made an announcement via X regarding the paramilitary's victory in Sennar, Sudan, on June 29, 2024 (@RSFSudan)
Paramilitary forces in Sudan claimed victory on Saturday after seizing Singa, the capital of Sennar state in the southeast.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) posted on X: "We have liberated the 17th Infantry Division from Singa," the capital of Sennar state, marking a pivotal advance in their year-long struggle against the regular army.
سجل أشاوس قوات الدعم السريع اليوم السبت، نصراً جديداً في سِفر انتصاراتهم المتواصلة، بتحرير الفرقة 17 مشاة سنجة، وبسطت قواتنا سيطرتها التامة على عاصمة ولاية سنار بعد أن ألحقوا هزيمة مذلة بمليشيا البرهان وكتائب الحركة الإسلامية الإرهابية وما يسمى بقوات الدفاع الشعبي (المقاومة… pic.twitter.com/8mHsXkALbx
— Rapid Support Forces - قوات الدعم السريع (@RSFSudan) June 29, 2024
Eyewitnesses and residents confirmed chaotic scenes unfolding in Singa, with RSF units patrolling the streets amid reports of aerial bombardments and anti-aircraft fire by government forces.
Panic gripped the city as thousands of residents desperately sought to flee amid intensifying combat.
مشاهد من تحرير اشاوس الدعم السريع للفرقة 17 مشاة سنجة ورئاسة ولاية سنار
— Rapid Support Forces - قوات الدعم السريع (@RSFSudan) June 29, 2024
Scenes depicting the courageous RSF soldiers, liberation of the 17th Senga Infantry Division, and the Sennar State headquarters. #معركة_الديمقراطية #حراس_الثورة_المجيدة pic.twitter.com/8P0mlP27xX
Read more: Sudan's army announced killing RSF major commander
The conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between loyalist factions of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF led by his former deputy Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, has ravaged Sudan.
With tens of thousands dead, millions displaced, and a dire humanitarian crisis exacerbated, the country faces one of its darkest periods in recent history.
The RSF's latest territorial gain in Sennar state further tightens their grip around Port Sudan, a strategic Red Sea port now encircled by RSF-held territories.
The RSF holds sway over the majority of Khartoum, the central al-Jazira state, the expansive western Darfur region, and significant parts of southern Kordofan.
Read more: Sudan's army, paramilitary RSF using starvation as weapon: UN experts
Sennar state, previously home to over a million displaced Sudanese, serves as a crucial link between central Sudan and the army-dominated southeast.
Reports from social media depicted mass displacement, with thousands fleeing Singa by any means possible, seeking refuge along the east bank of the Blue Nile River.
RSF troops have also encircled el-Fasher, the administrative capital of North Darfur state.
Meanwhile, a recent UN report has painted a dire picture of Sudan's humanitarian plight, revealing that nearly 26 million people are grappling with acute food insecurity amidst ongoing violence and displacement.
