RSF overrun West Kordofan State capital El-Fulla in latest blow to SAF

BABANUSA – Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in a significant advance on Thursday morning attacked and overran El-Fulla, the capital of West Kordofan state, jeopardizing safety of thousands of displaced civilians who sought refuge in the city from violence elsewhere.

El-Fulla houses the headquarters of the 462^nd Battalion belonging to the 91^st Brigade of the SAF’s 22^nd Infantry Division headquartered in Babanusa. It was the third-to-last area with a significant SAF presence in West Kordofan, following Babanusa, and Heglig where the army maintains its 90^th Brigade.

The seizure marks a major victory for the RSF following the death of their commander in Central Darfur, Ali Yagoub, who was killed in El Fasher, North Darfur State, last week by a joint force comprised of Darfur rebel groups allied with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

Residents in El-Fulla reported hearing gunfire erupting south of the city around 8:00AM on Thursday. They expressed fear for their safety as attacks such as this one have subjected civilians to violence.

“The fighting is south of the city. We’ve been hearing gunshots since today morning. This is very serious, and we’re worried about our safety with shelling and stray bullets reaching our homes,” said a civilian source in El-Fulla, speaking to Sudans Post on condition of anonymity.

These accounts align with statements from a SAF officer in Babanusa, who confirmed an RSF attack from the south but denied the city’s capture.

“The city of El-Fulla has not fallen as claimed on social media. The brave soldiers of the Sudanese Armed Forces are currently repelling an attack by the RSF militia from the south,” the officer told Sudans Post.

Days prior, RSF forces had withdrawn from neighborhoods near the 22^nd Infantry Division headquarters in Babanusa, roughly 70 kilometers southwest of El-Fulla. This redeployment could have been used to bolster the offensive against the SAF’s 462^nd Battalion.

Videos linked to RSF accounts on social media appear to show their fighters within El-Fulla and occupying government buildings. One video depicts RSF commander Saleh El Futti, who led the assault, sitting in the governor’s seat at the state government secretariat.

El-Futti’s is the RSF commander in South Darfur State. He was appointed to that position in October last year by RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo following the group’s seizure of the headquarters of the 16^th Infantry Division of the SAF in Nyala, the South Darfur State capital.

News of a potential RSF attack on El-Fulla sparked a chaotic exodus of residents northward on Wednesday. Around five SAF soldiers were seen manning the city’s southern outskirts, vowing to resist the impending attack.

El Fulla also shelters thousands of displaced civilians, primarily women and children, from neighboring states that have witnessed similar deadly clashes between the RSF and SAF.

The city is bordered by East Darfur to the west, North Darfur to the northwest, North Kordofan to the north, South Kordofan to the northeast, and South Sudan to the south.

Since the outbreak of conflict between the RSF and SAF in April 2023, both El-Fulla and Babanusa have been encircled by RSF forces.

With El-Fulla captured, the RSF’s next target could be Babanusa, the remaining major SAF stronghold in West Kordofan. A potential fall of Babanusa would leave Heglig, a crucial oil town on the border with South Sudan’s Unity State, highly vulnerable.

Heglig’s capture would threaten South Sudan’s oil exports, which rely on pipelines running through Sudanese territory. Notably, Heglig was part of South Kordofan until the 2013 re-establishment of West Kordofan State.