US Special Envoy to Sudan calls for caution against potential offensive on El Fasher

Amidst rising tensions in Sudan, Tom Perriello, the US Special Envoy to Sudan, has cautioned against a potential offensive on El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.

Perriello stressed the disastrous consequences such an offensive would have on Darfur’s civilians and the already dire situation in Sudan.

He emphasized the urgent need for all parties to cease attacks and uphold their commitments to international law and recent peace agreements.

Perriello said these following reports of rising tensions fuelled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) allegedly blocking humanitarian aid deliveries to El Fasher and imposing restrictions on civilian movement.

He condemned the actions, stating that they only raise the suffering of the Sudanese people.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese air force conducted airstrikes late Wednesday night targeting RSF forces outside El Fasher and in Mellit, North Darfur where, paramilitary forces in Nyala, were bombed.

In Nyala, the South Darfur capital, the Sudanese army warplanes launched airstrikes on various locations, causing damage to neighbourhoods, markets, and military installations. The RSF retaliated with ground-based anti-aircraft missiles.

The city of Nyala has been ravaged by airstrikes since the RSF took control of its 16th Infantry Division headquarters on October 26th, with both sides accusing each other of targeting civilians.

The violence has forced most residents to flee, leaving central neighbourhoods deserted.

The RSF currently controls four of the five states in the Darfur region, however, El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, remains under government control due to threats from armed movements resisting RSF incursions.