Thousands Flee Wad Madani After Renewed Clashes Between the RSF and the Sudanese Army
(AWP) - Renewed clashes resumed between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the eastern areas adjacent to the city of Wad Madani in al-Jazirah state, which is around 186 kilometres south of the capital Khartoum.
This came hours after the army celebrated with the residents of Wad Madani following its thwarting of an RSF attack and preventing its forces from entering the city.
However, the RSF’s sudden counterattack has sparked terror among residents of the city that is currently home to more than four million displaced people from Khartoum.
Following the attack, thousands, who had already fled Khartoum, started fleeing Wad Madani on foot and in cars and trucks towards the city of Sennar, nearly 100 kilometres to the south.
Ahmed al-Kheir, a Sudanese resident of Wad Madani, said, "People were living in safety, and suddenly we heard the sounds of gunfire. It is the same old story. Now people are thinking of fleeing again to the city of Sennar, experiencing the same feelings and suffering again."
Ahmed al-Kheir, another Wad Madani resident, added, "Displacement has become an endless story. It started from Khartoum to the city of Wad Madani, where the situation changed, and suddenly there was gunfire and the Rapid Support [Forces]. The best thing, according to the army’s statement and what people are circulating here, is that the Rapid Support Forces were unable to enter the city. We don't know where our destination will be. To the outskirts of al-Jazirah [state], the city of Sennar, or somewhere else, because they can reach any other place we go to."
The United Nations had warned RSF against attacking Wad Madani, which has become Sudan’s largest refuge for displaced people and is also home to the country’s largest base of international organisations.
On Monday, the Rapid Support Forces claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that it had gained control over the SAF’s First Infantry Division in Wad Madani, along with the Central Reserve Camp and the Hantoub Bridge’s eastern entrance.