Residents of the city, which is called the “capital of displacement,” panicked during the past hours as violent gunfire was heard, and columns of smoke rose in the eastern part of Lud Madani, after an attack carried out by the Rapid Support Forces from two sides, using about 400 military vehicles, according to preliminary information.
While the Rapid Support Forces announced through their media pages that they had taken control of the Hantoub Bridge, which connects most of the cities of eastern Sudan with the center of the country and the capital, Khartoum, and shot down an army MIG plane, sources in the army denied these reports and said that they responded to the attack.
Aside from the reports that talk about the progress of operations around the city of Wad Madani, which is about 180 kilometers away from the capital, Khartoum, and is considered one of the most important economic centers in the country. About two million people were displaced there, and most industries and economic and commercial institutions were transferred to it after the outbreak of fighting in Khartoum, thousands did not find Many residents have no choice but to move south.
Hajja Amna, who broke into a fit of tears while speaking to Sky News Arabia, said: “We came to Madani two months after the outbreak of fighting in Khartoum, after we were exposed to death, hunger, and looting there, and here we are facing a new reality. Even the city to which we were displaced seemed unsafe.” .
With great anger and sadness, Hajja Amna wondered about the guilt of civilians, residents and displaced people, in a useless war. She said, “Instead of continuing with this war that has destroyed the nation and its people, rational people must sit down and stop it. We have lost everything, our homes and our money, and our children have not seen schools for more than “9 months. We are in real danger and the world no longer cares about our worsening crisis.”
The incursion of the Rapid Support Forces into the strategic state of Al-Jazira began about 5 weeks ago, as video clips published by it showed the entry of its forces in November into the “Al-Aidj” area, which is about 120 kilometers from Madani, the state’s capital, one day after it took control of the Al-Aylafoun area, which is considered A main road to the Central State, located about 30 kilometers east of Khartoum, which includes one of the most important training camps for army recruits, in addition to a major station for South Sudan’s oil exports that pass through Sudanese territory.
These developments have fueled fears of the continued expansion of the war, which has so far included the five states of Darfur, in addition to large parts of Kordofan State, leading to more destruction and casualties.
Data from the ACLED organization, which specializes in collecting data on conflicts and their events, estimated the death toll at about 12,000 so far, while the number of displaced people inside and outside the country has reached more than 8 million.
Strategy to expand the scope of the war
According to military strategist Amin Ismail Majzoub, expanding the scope of the current war in different regions of the country is a strategy through which the Rapid Support Forces may aim to relieve pressure on its forces in Khartoum and occupy the army forces by opening new fronts.
Majzoub told Sky News Arabia that trying to open new fronts “will cost a lot in terms of the field,” pointing out the danger of tension between the parties that other combat forces have entered into.
The regions of Kordofan, Darfur, Al-Jazira and the White Nile are considered among the regions most affected by the fighting in Khartoum, as violent battles took place during the past weeks in a number of areas of those regions.
Observers warn that a prolonged war will lead to its expansion into many of the country’s cities that were until now considered safe places for those displaced from the burning areas, which will exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation.
In this context, journalist Rasha Awad says that the danger of continuing this war is its expansion to safe states.
Awad expresses her concern for the residents of Madani and those who were displaced there after the war, explaining: “Their numbers are huge and most of them are poor and helpless and cannot be displaced again. The safety of citizens depends on stopping the war in a serious manner, and entering into arrangements for a negotiated political solution that silences the guns, bullets, and aerial bombardment and prevents The war spreads to other regions.
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2023-12-16 00:26:26
