Sudan: RSF seizes El Fula after bloody battle
Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militant group has claimed yet another strategic victory in capturing the city of El Fula. The loss of the city, vital to Sudanese oil export infrastructure, will prove a crushing blow to government forces, already struggling to hold ground.
The RSF announced on June 20th that it had seized control of the West Kordofan state capital after a battle with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), according to Al Jazeera.
The group released videos of its leaders speaking from the El Fula government headquarters, while reports confirmed the capture of its military base.
“Commander Salih al-Foti proudly announces the full liberation of Al-Fulla from the grip of the SAF militia and terrorist brigades,” the RSF announced via their official X account.
NGOs had warned of the impact the assault on the city could have on civilians, while sources cited by Asharq Al-Awsat claim dozens of people were killed in the battle between the RSF and the SAF.
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The SAF has not yet commented on the loss of the city.
SAF forces withdrew to their last remaining base in the region in Babanusa, Al Jazeera reported, while West Kordofan’s state government purportedly called on “mobilized forces and popular resistance” to prepare to fight back the RSF from El Fula.
El Fula is strategically situated near regional and international borders and is home to large oil fields. Oil pipelines from South Sudan also pass through El Fula for export.
The RSF takeover follows several threats from the RSF to overrun the West Kordofan capital, which hosts thousands of refugees already fleeing fighting in other areas of the country.
Al Jazeera / Asharq Al-Awsat
