Sudanese Armed Forces claim strategic Blue Nile bridgehead south-east of Khartoum

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) claim to have established a bridgehead on the east bank of the Nile at the strategic Soba Bridge, and the SAF-aligned Sudan Shield Forces posted a video establishing the claim. The emergency room south of the belt in southern Khartoum revealed that 13 people were killed and 27 others were injured during the past week as a result of security incidents.

The SAF are advancing towards El Baqir area, which is the entrance to Khartoum from El Gezira state side, with the objective of reaching the ‘Soba Hilla’ area and gaining controlling the western side of the bridge, they say.

The Soba Bridge over the Blue Nile south of the capital Khartoum, was opened in July 2017, and connects the Soba areas East and West. The length of the concrete body of the bridge is 571 meters, and its width is 27 metres with three lanes in each direction.

The entrances to the bridge from the western side extend for 3,450 meters to meet Madani West Street, and its entrances from the eastern side extend for 2,300 meters to meet Ael Aylafon Street leading to Hantoub Bridge from the eastern side.

The bridge connects the localities of “Khartoum, Jabal Awlia, and East Nile”, and was built with the aim of contributing to relieving pressure on Khartoum and transferring transit traffic from Madani Street through the ring road, and shortening the long distance to the rural areas of Jabal Awliya and East Nile.

Capital bridges

Khartoum state has 10 bridges: the Soba Bridge, El Jarif, east of Manshiyya, which connects East Nile and Khartoum, the Kobar, Blue Nile and King Nimr bridges, which connect Bahri and Khartoum, Shambat and Halfaya bridges, which connect Bahri and Omdurman, as well as the Blue Nile and Fatihab Bridge, and the Jabal Awliya Reservoir Bridge, which connects Khartoum and Omdurman.

With the armed forces in control of the eastern entrance to the Soba Bridge, which connects eastern Nile and Khartoum today, the RSF is left with only the East El Jarif Bridge, which connects Manshiya and El Jarif East, and the Jabal Awlia Bridge.

Last week, the armed forces took control of the northern entrance to the Kober Bridge, which connects Bahri and Khartoum, as well as the northern entrance to the King Nimr Bridge. Earlier, the army took control of the Blue Nile bridge, which was used during the war to link the General Command and the Signal Corps.

More recently, the armed forces took control of Bahri in its entirety, having taken control of Kafouri, Ezba and Kobar.

The armed forces had earlier taken control of the Halfaya and Shambat bridges, which link Bahri and Omdurman.

The Shambat Bridge was previously partially damaged by shelling, and the army and RSF accused each other of the bombing.

Since the beginning of operations in the Halfaya area last September, communication between the Rapid Support Forces in Bahri and Omdurman has been cut off.

The RSF controls parts of Ombada locality and southern Omdurman locality.

Among the bridges still controlled by the RSF is the Jabal Awliya bridge.

Armed forces yesterday took control of the Qatina area in the White Nile, about 50 km from the Jabal Awliya bridge, and army soldiers from inside Jabal Awliya said their next destination was Jabal Awliya.

The armed forces continued to launch air strikes on the Jebel Awliya bridge in order to obstruct the passage of vehicles between Jebel Awliya and Omdurman, after the armed forces advanced and took control of large parts of Khartoum.

In central Khartoum, the armed forces control the old Blue Nile bridge, and the Fatihab bridge, which also connects Omdurman and Khartoum.

Today, the armed forces have taken control of blocks 14 and 15 as well as the square market 15. In the Fatihab.

40 dead and wounded in southern Khartoum and 10 cases of rape in Eastern Dium

The South Belt Emergency Room said that the South Belt area, especially the neighbourhoods of May and Aad Hussein, is witnessing unprecedented security evasions that resulted in the death of 13 people and the injury of more than 27 others by live bullets during the past week.

The residents of the area live in a state of extreme fear in light of the escalation of crimes, which include murder and looting, amid the absence of any effective intervention to stop these violations.

The Chamber noted that the situation worsened with the complete collapse of the health system after all hospitals were out of service, in addition to the escalation of the suffering of citizens in light of the complete interruption of communication and electricity networks, which increases the isolation of the region.

The situation in Eastern Diyum

The resistance committees in Eastern Diyum accused the Rapid Support Forces of killing Fahd Awad Khamis while trying to escape from them after they broke into his house for the purpose of looting and theft .

Fahd was working as a butcher in the Qusi meat shop near the Bashdar intersection .

She said that during the past few days, she has monitored at least 10 cases of rape in the neighbourhoods of (El Sikr East, El Dim Centre, El Sajana El Jadida neighbourhood).

She noted that one of the citizens had to jump from the second floor of a building to escape the abuses. Dozens of families fled on foot to the Rumaila neighbourhood, she said.

Recently, the armed forces took control of the neighbourhoods of Rumaila, El Quoz, Hilla El Jadida and El Sajana Main Street, all the way to the Freedom Bridge and the Jackson parking lot.

Radio Dabanga was not immediately able to obtain immediate comment from the RSF.