About Nationwide Mobilization Against Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan
SUDAN – On Saturday, the Sudanese Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced a announced a nationwide mobilization against Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in a move to engage the public in regaining control of cities currently under the paramilitary group.
On Tuesday, the army said that it had made major gains in several areas in Kordofan after clashes with the RSF.
The military said several “vital sites” were secured, vowing to continue its military campaign against the RSF “until the country is cleansed of rebellion and foreign agendas.”
Earlier Tuesday, the Joint Force of Armed Movements, a coalition of armed groups allied with the army, said that they had regained control of the Abu Sunun and Abu Qaoud areas in North Kordofan state.
A day earlier, the Sudanese army said it had retaken the Um Sayala area in North Kordofan from the RSF.
Why it Matters
Following the RSF seizure of El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, last month, fighting between the rebel group and the Sudanese army spread to new fronts, particularly to the Kordofan region in central and southern Sudan.
The RSF controls all five Darfur states, out of Sudan’s 18 states, while the army holds most of the remaining 13 states, including Khartoum.
Darfur makes up about one-fifth of Sudan’s territory, but most of the country’s 50 million people live in army-held areas.
On Wednesday, a senior Sudanese army officer urged citizens on Wednesday to respond to Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s call to join a nationwide mobilization against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Ali Hassan Bello, commander of the Blue Nile Air Defense Sector, congratulated the armed forces, allied groups, and the public “on the major victories achieved in the Kordofan axis against the rebel militia.”
“Victory is inevitable in the remaining cities still under siege,” he said in comments carried by the state news agency SUNA.
He urged the Sudanese youth to answer the army chief’s call to join the mobilization against the rebel group.
The conflict in Sudan between the army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has killed at least 40,000 people and displaced 12 million, according to the World Health Organization.
