Sudan’s army says it destroyed 224 RSF combat vehicles in 2 weeks

The Sudanese army said on Tuesday that it had destroyed two tanks and 224 combat vehicles, and seized 36 others from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in two weeks of military operations across three combat fronts.

In a statement, the army said its forces and supporting units carried out “qualitative operations” between June 15 and June 30 in several battlefronts, claiming to have achieved “continuous successes” and inflicting heavy losses on the RSF.

The operations resulted in the destruction of 224 combat vehicles, the seizure of 36 others, the downing of a strategic drone, the destruction of two tanks, and 10 trucks loaded with weapons and fuel, as well as the destruction of two ammunition depots and two fuel storage facilities, it added.

In Darfur, army and allied forces carried out special operations that succeeded in shooting down a strategic drone north of the town of al-Tawisha, the statement said.

In West Darfur’s Kulbus area, the army said it defeated RSF forces, forcing them to retreat, destroying several vehicles and inflicting casualties. In North and South Kordofan, it reported ongoing military operations, including the destruction of a supply truck and the elimination of RSF members.

It also said it seized control of Sarkam and Magqa in Blue Nile State after “decisive battles,” claiming to have caused casualties among RSF members and destroyed vehicles.

There was no immediate reaction from the RSF regarding the army’s statement.

Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile states have been witnessing escalating clashes for months between the Sudanese army and the RSF, amid worsening waves of displacement.

The RSF controls the five states of the Darfur region, except for parts of North Darfur that remain under army control, while the army maintains control over most of the other 13 states, including the capital Khartoum.

Sudan has faced one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises since war erupted in April 2023 between the army and the RSF over a dispute about integrating the paramilitary force into the military. The conflict has triggered famine, killed tens of thousands and displaced millions of others.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel in Istanbul