The Sudanese Army confronted and repelled an attack carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) against army sites in al-A'waj. The RSF were supposed to head to the city of Ad Doueim in the White Nile region for another military operation before they were stopped in al-A'waj. 

The Sudanese Armed Forces were able to repel the attack using artillery and heavy weaponry and cooperation with the Sudanese airforce. 

Local news had reported at an earlier time that the RSF targeted army center points located in the northern sector of the Khartoum Capital. 

Initially, the RSF attempted to infiltrate an area west of al-A'waj, but arrived at Goz and took advantage of the heights in the region to target army gatherings, using missiles. Three projectiles targeted al-Shara, al-Sayal, and al-A'waj, but no casualties were reported. 

Following the bombing, the SAF raided RSF sites in Naima in al-Qatina, south of Khartoum. 

It is worth noting that the RSF are seeking control of Ad Doueim through the recurring targeting of positions along al-A'waj, to facilitate the obtainment of supplies from several regions in western Sudan and the entry of its forces into the villages of West Manaqil, adjacent to the White Nile State, to prevent the army forces from advancing towards the al-Jazeera State and Wad Madani.

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The Sudanese army stressed its keenness to "avoid causing any harm that could affect citizens and civilians per international standards for engagement," and called on civilians to stay away from combat areas.

The office of the official spokesman for the Sudanese Armed Forces said, “The Rapid Support Forces were observed deliberately using civilian human shields, by using homes and civilian objects as military sites, similar to what is happening in South Kordofan, North and East Darfur, and all areas of their presence.”

The statement stressed the need for citizens to stay away from the areas of Rapid Support gatherings throughout the country, and said that these sites are “considered legitimate military targets for strikes by our air forces.”

Sudan files a complaint against UAE at UNSC

On Friday, Sudan submitted an official complaint to the UN Security Council against the UAE, because the latter supported the RSF against the Sudanese army. Sudan's permanent representative to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idris Al-Harith, said that the RSF carried out a large-scale attack on sovereign and strategic targets in Khartoum, to eliminate the Transitional Sovereignty Council and "assume power by implementing a foreign agenda."

Al-Harith explained that the UAE “played a major role in igniting the war through its internal ally, the Rapid Support Militia,” which led to the killing and wounding of thousands of innocent civilians, the displacement of millions of people, and exposing millions to unprecedented vulnerability such as food insecurity, lack of health care, shortage of medicines, and escalation of suffering. It also contributed to stopping production, the collapse of the economy, human rights violations, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and those amounting to genocide. 

35% increase in people affected by violence in South Sudan

The UN mission in South Sudan reported on March 18 that over the last three months of 2023, 233 cases of violence were documented, targeting 862 people out of which 406 were killed, 293 injured, 100 abducted, and 63 victims of sexual violence linked to the conflicts. 

It added that the percentage of those affected by violence in South Sudan has increased by 35% during the last three months of 2023. 

It is noteworthy that acts of violence due to ethnic tensions and conflicts over resources such as land in different parts of the country have increased in recent months, especially in the oil-rich region of Abyei.

Read more: UNICEF: Tens of thousands of children to die in Sudan with no aid