Witnesses reported that rockets struck the Sudanese capital on Thursday, as Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched an assault on a significant air force base north of the capital, saying that they had neutralized “dozens” of soldiers.
Residents in the capital’s northwest reported “heavy artillery shelling,” and witnesses informed media that drones belonging to RSF attacked the air base north of Khartoum.
In a statement, Sudan’s RSF said it had “destroyed three fighter jets, as well as stores of weapons, military equipment, and supplies” during the attack on the air base, asserting that their forces had inflicted casualties on “dozens” of personnel.
Since April 15, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has been embroiled in a conflict with army chief Abdel Fattah al Burha.
The ongoing conflict, primarily centered in Khartoum and the western region of Darfur, has resulted in the death of over 3,900 individuals and displaced more than 3.3 million people.
Police forces in the capital continue to show loyalty to the army but that loyalty might be tested soon as many other parts in the war-ravaged region police have been observed fighting alongside the RSF.
Both sides have presented themselves as defenders of democracy. However, many tribes who were neutral to the conflict have joined the ranks of RSF recently.
On Thursday, the Forces for Freedom and Change—the main civilian bloc ousted in 2021—denied any connections to the RSF, after one of the army’s top commanders, Yasser Atta, referred to the civilian bloc and the RSF as “allies” earlier this week.