Thousands of Sudanese troops head to capital for reinforcement amid fighting with RSF

KHARTOUM, APRIL 17, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – The Sudanese army has reportedly ordered thousands of its forces in the south and east of the country to head to the capital Khartoum to help in the ongoing fighting against rebellious Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

This comes a day after RSF forces under deputy head of the transitional sovereign council Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Daglo who is better known in Sudan as “Hemedti” launched declared war and launched attacks on several army and government positions.

Speaking to Sudans Post, several sources said that Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan – the commander in chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and head of the Transitional Sovereign Council – has ordered the deployment of additional troops from east and south of the country to Khartoum.

“In order to help end the rebellion of the [Rapid Support Forces], the commander in chief of the army and president of the [transitional] sovereign council has ordered additional troops from southern and eastern parts of the country,” one army source said.

“They have started their movement and we expect them to arrive in the capital tonight or tomorrow night,” he added.

According to the sources, al-Burhan ordered the deployment of additional forces to Khartoum as a precautionary measure to ensure peace and stability in the city amidst concerns of potential violence in the coming days.

The army chief’s directive comes amid rising tensions in Sudan, with pro-democracy activists demanding greater political freedoms and an end to what they view as repressive government policies.

The military has not yet commented publicly, but Burhan told Al Jazeera channel on Saturday that the army will be forced to bring in forces from other parts of the country to end the rebellion in capital if necessary.

A senior Sudanese army commander yesterday told Al Arabiya Channel that it will take several days to dislodge the RSF from the capital Khartoum.

Observers say that the deployment of additional military forces to Khartoum underscores the challenges facing the Sudan’s army in dealing with the forces of the Rapid Support Forces which has claimed control of key infrastructure in the capital.