Sudan: RSF attack police stations in El Obeid, 20 policemen killed

---

Fierce fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out in El Obeid, capital of Kordofan, on Thursday. An unknown number of residents were killed. An attack by the RSF on two police stations left 20 policemen dead. The situation in South Kordofan is relatively stable at present.

Fighting started around 9:00 in the centre, not far from the El Obeid Teaching hospital and the Grand Market, and in the northern neighbourhoods of El Obeid adjacent to the Army General Command. The clashes continued for three hours, local sources reported. Both sides used heavy weapons. Several people were killed and injured, and a number of houses were damaged.

During an attack by RSF soldiers on the police station and the traffic police office in the centre of the city, 20 police officers, including three senior officials, were killed. More than 40 others were injured.

An activist confirmed to Radio Dabanga that fierce fighting took place in the residential areas, around the stadium and near the Army Command. “We saw hundreds of RSF vehicles near the Grand Market and adjacent neighbourhoods, which means that the RSF received large reinforcements.”

The dead and wounded were taken to the El Obeid Teaching Hospital, although many of the injured -as well as staff and doctors- were unable to reach the hospital due to the nearby fighting.

The Socialist Doctors Association said in a press statement on Thursday evening that “the El Obeid Teaching Hospital is now operating at its lowest capacity, while the number of injuries is high”.

The doctors appealed to “members of resistance committees, trade unions, professionals, workers, political parties, and Sudanese abroad to form the largest front for action possible and pressure to stop the war, protect civilians and ensure the treatment of the injured”.

Nazifa Awadallah, head of El Obeid Doctors Committee, told Radio Dabanga on Wednesday that during fighting in the southern and western parts of the city, 18 more people were killed. About 2,000 people fled their homes.

Worsening crisis

The situation in El Obeid is becoming increasingly dire, with a lack of basic services, including drinking water, bread, medicine, and fuel.

Activists told Radio Dabanga that a litre of petrol which previously cost SDG3,000 now costs SDG12,000.

“If the confrontations between the two parties continue and civilians are not given the opportunity to receive basic services, a humanitarian catastrophe is likely”, one of the activists said.

People sheltering in the city centre had to flee again, while many others left the city to seek refuge in neighbouring El Rahad.

Kadugli

Although South Kordofan is relatively stable at present, an air of cautious anticipation looms as events unfold in the rest of the country.

“Most people in Kadugli stay at home, and only venture out to buy food,” Radio Dabanga’s correspondent in the city reported. She also noted a three-fold increase in the prices of basic commodities.

The security committee of Kadugli, the state capital, issued a decision to suspend public transport from Wednesday evening onward as a precautionary measure. The decision came as a surprise to most, and forced transport companies to contact passengers to cancel their trips, a staff member of El Eman Transport said.

The Electricity Distribution Office issued a power provision schedule due to the scarcity of fuel at the Kadugli power station, causing some water stations to go out of service and leading to a shortage of drinking water.

The Emergency Committee of the South Kordofan Ministry of Health has put state hospitals on maximum alert during the Eid El Fitr holiday that started today.