Khartoum- Rapid Support Forces have shifted their nine-month-long battle with the Sudanese army from Khartoum to the strategic city of Wad Madani, the capital of Al Jazirah state in central Sudan. Observers consider this sudden move a significant turn in the course of the conflict, aiming to send multiple messages and exert pressure on the military establishment to secure a future military and political role for the Rapid Support Forces through negotiation tables.
Al Jazirah state is second only to the capital in population and economic weight, home to the country's largest agricultural project, 98 years old, with a strategic location connecting Khartoum, about 186 kilometers away, with eastern states of the country. It shelters over half a million displaced persons, the majority from the capital.
Skirmishes and Assault
Over the past three months, the Rapid Support Forces have been involved in skirmishes and movements in villages and towns in the northern Al Jazirah state bordering Khartoum, involving looting and plunder of citizens' properties. There have also been attempts by these forces to improve their image by supporting "khalawis," Quran teaching centers, with food supplies.
Last Thursday, the Rapid Support Forces attacked the Abu Qutah region in southern Al Jazirah state with dozens of combat vehicles, gained control, and looted some properties and a bank before withdrawing. The operation seemed intended as a decoy to distract the army from their actual planned target.
On the morning of last Friday, more than 200 Rapid Support vehicles, mostly emanating from the eastern Nile area of Khartoum, moved towards Wad Madani after storming several villages. The attacking force reached within 15 kilometers east of the city, causing panic and the displacement of about 15,000 people towards neighboring Sennar and Al-Qadarif states, from around 90,000 displaced hosted by the city.
The army's aviation and artillery shelling prevented the Rapid Support Forces from storming the Hantoub Bridge over the Blue Nile leading to the city, with clashes continuing for three consecutive days until the army managed to push the threat away from the city.
Messages and Pressures
Military affairs researcher Ali Al-Hammadi believes that the Rapid Support Forces aim to relieve pressure on their forces in the capital after facing military strains in recent weeks in Khartoum. The army was able to make advances and inflict significant losses on them in silent operations.
Al-Hammadi suggested that the army might have received new quality weapons and used drones intensely, leading them to move from defense of their vital headquarters to an offensive mode.
Al Hammadi told Al Jazeera Net that the Rapid Support Forces would find it difficult to achieve military gains in Al Jazirah state as they are fighting in a non-friendly environment with open geographical terrains allowing the army to deliver effective airstrikes. The proximity of Wad Madani to military areas of the army in Sennar, Blue Nile, and Al-Qadarif also enables them to receive continuous military and human supplies.
Political analyst Ali Abdul Rahman sees the attack on Al Jazirah state and its center, Wad Madani, as aiming to achieve political, military, and media goals. The most prominent of these are demonstrating that the forces are still strong and cohesive and capable of destabilizing security and stability in the center of the country, not just in Darfur if agreement with them isn't reached.
In his conversation with Al Jazeera Net, the analyst explains that the Rapid Support Forces also wanted to cause a strong media sensation by advancing towards the center of the country, threatening the heart of Al Jazirah state, and strengthening their position in upcoming negotiation rounds to ensure themselves a military and political role in the post-war phase.
The attack on Wad Madani is unjustified and a blatant violation of the rights and protection of civilians. It is a city that accommodates millions of its residents and displaced from Khartoum and others, and the attack comes after the extensive looting that the Rapid Support Forces have practiced against the residents of Khartoum and their homes and properties. The killing and the significant destruction it caused…
— Yassir Arman (Twitter handle)
Justification and Condemnation
In justifying their attack on Wad Madani, the Rapid Support Forces stated that Abdul-Fattah Al-Burhan, head of the Sovereign Council and army commander, decided that Al Jazirah state would be the launching point for their attack.
They mentioned in a statement on Sunday that it was their duty to defend themselves by stopping the attack on them and heading to their strongholds in Al Jazirah state.
The forces also affirmed their commitment to international humanitarian law and cooperation with actors in the humanitarian field to continue assisting those affected by the war, according to the same statement.
On the other hand, the army confirmed the stabilization of the security situation in Al Jazirah state and called on citizens not to leave their homes and to disregard rumors that could undermine their spirits and incite panic among the people.
A statement by the army spokesman Brigadier Nabil Abdullah on Sunday said, "Al Dagalo's terrorist militia (Hamidati) targeted Abu Qutah villages and east Al Jazirah and attempted to target Wad Madani city, areas with no military objectives, confirming that this war is waged against the Sudanese citizen."
In a significant stance, the Freedom and Change coalition, which is seen by opponents as a political support for the Rapid Support, rejected the attack on Al Jazirah state. Spokesperson Yassir Arman considered the attack "unjustified and a clear violation of civilians' rights and protections."
Arman tweeted on the platform "X" that "Wad Madani is a city that houses millions of its residents and displaced from Khartoum and other areas, and the attack on it comes after extensive looting the Rapid Support Forces have committed against the people of Khartoum and their homes and properties."
