KHARTOUM, Sudan: In a seemingly unending conflict, Sudan’s rival generals have returned to the negotiating table in Saudi Arabia, but the fighting in Sudan’s second-largest city shows no signs of abating.
The ongoing battle for control has resulted in substantial casualties, with over 9,000 lives lost and almost six million people displaced over the past six months. In this war of attrition, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan faces off against his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Despite the staggering human cost, neither side has been able to secure a decisive advantage.
In Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, the air force’s attempts to dislodge the RSF have proved unsuccessful. The RSF continues to control the city’s streets, while the army holds the eastern regions of the country. Amid the ongoing conflict, peace talks resumed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with the sole focus on securing a ceasefire and facilitating humanitarian aid, as stated by Riyadh and Washington.
At the exact moment negotiations recommenced, the RSF claimed to have captured Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state and the largest city in the vast western region of Darfur, which is traditionally the RSF’s stronghold. Nyala is strategically significant due to its infrastructure, including an airport, railway, and a key highway intersection, which could play a crucial role in resupplying forces in the area.
Furthermore, the RSF has maintained control of the Om Dafouq border post with the Central African Republic for the past three months and reportedly taken control of additional supply routes to Khartoum, located 1,000 kilometers to the northeast. Nyala also holds the distinction of being the largest military center in the three states of South Darfur, Central Darfur, and East Darfur.
Capturing Nyala would solidify the RSF’s hold on Darfur, a region where ethnically motivated killings by the RSF and allied militia have prompted a new International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation. The ICC has been investigating war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Darfur since the 2000s, primarily committed by the Janjaweed militia, the predecessor to the RSF.
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Nyala is not just of military and strategic importance; it is also the economic heart of Darfur, a region the size of France and home to around a quarter of Sudan’s population. The city has economic ties with neighboring countries, including Chad, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan, extending as far as Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
As representatives from both sides engaged with US and Saudi mediators in Jeddah, the RSF released footage showing Daglo’s brother and deputy, Abdelrahim Daglo, leading troops into Nyala. However, the army contested this claim, asserting that the 16th infantry division had repelled the RSF’s attack and inflicted significant human and material losses.
Residents of Nyala have reported RSF fighters spread throughout the city, with neighbourhoods controlled by different forces. The latest escalation occurred when the RSF attacked the 16th division with 300 armoured vehicles, intensifying the conflict further.
Prior mediation attempts by the US and Saudi Arabia led to brief truces that were consistently violated. Analysts suggest that Burhan and Daglo have opted for a prolonged war of attrition, potentially aiming to gain more favourable terms at the negotiating table in the future.
