SENNAR — Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Saturday evening seized control of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) 17th infantry division headquarters in Sinja, the capital of Sennar State, further encircling the strategic town of Sennar.
The capture of Sinja, south of the Sennar, puts additional pressure on the town, which has already been besieged from the west and north.
An earlier RSF attempt to take the city this week was unsuccessful.
A resident, speaking to Sudans Post on condition of anonymity, said there was no major fighting around the infantry division when the RSF entered around 6:00 p.m. local time.
“The sounds of the gun you heard was not necessarily fighting over control. There was fighting in the eastern and southern entrances of the city, but there was no fighting at the army division,” the resident said.
The resident added that thousands of civilians were fleeing north towards Sennar.
The RSF appears to be gaining ground in the ongoing conflict with the SAF that began in April 2023.
They now control the entire Darfur region, except for North Darfur where government troops and former rebels hold the capital El Fasher and some border areas.
The RSF also holds most of West Kordofan State, significant parts of Khartoum, almost all of Al Jazira State, and now Sinja, a major city and capital of Sennar State.