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Battle of Geneina

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Battle of Geneina
Part of the Darfur campaign and the 2023 Sudan conflict

Geneina as of 6 May 2023
Date1st phase: 15 April 2023 (1 day; Seizure by RSF)
2nd phase: 25 April – 2 May 2023 (2023-04-25 – 2023-05-02)
(1 week)[1]
Location
Geneina (and surroundings), West Darfur, Sudan
Status

RSF victory

  • The RSF control Geneina until battle resumes on 25 April 2023[2]
  • Fleeing of thousands of civilians
  • The RSF manage to re-capture Geneina as a whole by 1 May 2023[3]
Belligerents
Sudanese Armed Forces Rapid Support Forces
Commanders and leaders
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo
Casualties and losses
Unknown, (UN states that casualties between civilians and soldiers could be in the hundreds or even higher)[4] Unknown
230 confirmed civilian deaths and more than 300 injured, thousands flee to neighboring Chad due to deadly fighting. [5][6][7][8]

The Battle of Geneina was a battle for control of Geneina, the capital of West Darfur in Sudan, between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and the Sudanese Armed Forces between 15 April 2023 to 2 May 2023. It, along with the battle of Nyala, were important battles that made up the larger Darfur campaign in the 2023 Sudan conflict.

Background

Main article: 2023 Sudan conflict

In early 2023, tensions rose between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by the 2021 coup leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces led by Hemedti, remnants of Omar al-Bashir's Janjaweed that committed ethnic cleansing against non-Arab tribes in Darfur. These tensions came to a head on April 15, when RSF forces attacked Sudanese forces in Khartoum, Merowe, and several cities across Darfur, including Nyala, El Fasher, and Geneina.[9][10]

In Geneina however, West Darfur governor Khamis Abdallah Abkar declared a state of emergency on April 10 due to the killing of three people by the Sudanese Alliance, a militia led by the governor.[11] Clashes between Arabs and non-Arabs also broke out in Foro-Baranga, on the border with Chad, on April 13, leaving 24 people dead.[12]

Battle

The battle in Geneina broke out on April 15, and took place in the western part of Geneina.[13] The initial clashes lasted for an hour and a half, according to a Masalit tribal leader, and ended at noon.[14] Civilians began sheltering in their homes, and the Masalit leader stated the situation in the city was "turbulent and unstable.[14] Clashes continued into April 16, but little is known about them.[15] The Rapid Support Forces claimed late in the night of April 16 that they had captured the Geneina Airport, but this was impossible to verify at the time.[16] A nationwide ceasefire, originating in Khartoum, also failed to hold up in Geneina on April 16.[14]

By April 17, the El-Geneina hospital had closed due to the fighting.[17] At the time, the death toll and exact location of fighting in Geneina were impossible to verify, due to fog of war, and the fogginess of the sides.[18] While some sources stated fighting broke out between the SAF and RSF, others claimed clashes were actually between Arabs and the non-Arab Masalit.[19] Ahmed Gouja, a journalist in Nyala, corroborated the claims of the Arab-Masalit clashes, and that civilians had stolen weapons from the police station to protect themselves and their neighborhoods.[20] OCHA reported that UN offices were being looted in the city, and markets, homes, and offices of other humanitarian organizations were being torched.[19]

On 24[21]–25[22] April, the fighting suddenly resumed. It was reported that militias from both Masalit and Arabs communities joined in the fighting.[23]

On 2 May 2023, the RSF reportedly re established control over the city for the second time, also recapturing some of the land they had previously lost, 200 people are confirmed to have died with street battles and strikes still present within the city. [24][25]

References

  1. ^ "More air strikes in Sudan as ceasefire expiry looms". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Sudan: West Darfur Clashes Leave 25 Dead, Prisoners Freed in Nyala, El Fasher and ED Daein". Dabanga. 27 April 2023. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Bloodshed in Sudan's Darfur as Hemeti's allies and enemies vie for control". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  4. ^ Regan, Celine Alkhaldi,Ingrid Formanek,Mohammed Tawfeeq,Helen (28 April 2023). "Clashes renew in West Darfur as food and water shortages worsen in Sudan violence". CNN. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "Sudan: West Darfur Clashes Leave 25 Dead, Prisoners Freed in Nyala, El Fasher and ED Daein". Dabanga. 27 April 2023. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  6. ^ Regan, Celine Alkhaldi,Ingrid Formanek,Mohammed Tawfeeq,Helen (28 April 2023). "Clashes renew in West Darfur as food and water shortages worsen in Sudan violence". CNN. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Camille (1 May 2023). "Nearly 200 dead in West Darfur violence: situation 'extremely dangerous'". Dabanga Radio TV Online. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Sudan: Darfur Update - El Geneina Clashes Continue, Truce Holds in El Fasher, Looting in Nyala". Dabanga. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Sudan unrest: RSF captures presidential palace as violence rages". www.geo.tv. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  10. ^ "Fighting between Sudan military rivals enters a second day, with dozens dead". CNN. 15 April 2023. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  11. ^ SudanTribune (11 April 2023). "West Darfur declares state of emergency after killing of three people". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Official: 24 killed in Sudan as Arab, non-Arab groups clash in Darfur". The East African. 13 April 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  13. ^ Bergman, Andrew (17 April 2023). "Deadly Sudan Army-RSF clashes spark human tragedy, widespread looting in Darfur". Dabanga Radio TV Online. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  14. ^ a b c Camille (25 April 2023). "Darfur update: clashes in El Geneina, extended truce in El Fasher, and popular initiatives in Nyala". Dabanga Radio TV Online. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  15. ^ "Sudan: Death toll rises as clashes continue nationwide April 16 /update 4". Sudan: Death toll rises as clashes continue nationwide April 16 /update 4 | Crisis24. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  16. ^ NNN (16 April 2023). "Violent Clashes Reported in Khartoum as Armed Forces Fight for Control". NNN. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  17. ^ SudanTribune (18 April 2023). "16 hospitals in Khartoum out of service as some bombed". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  18. ^ Bergman, Andrew (16 April 2023). "Death toll climbs as Army-militia clashes spread across Sudan". Dabanga Radio TV Online. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  19. ^ a b English, Al Mayadeen (28 April 2023). "Clashes renew in El Geneina, West Darfur". Al Mayadeen English. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  20. ^ Regan, Celine Alkhaldi,Ingrid Formanek,Mohammed Tawfeeq,Helen (28 April 2023). "Clashes renew in West Darfur as food and water shortages worsen in Sudan violence". CNN. Retrieved 11 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ "https://twitter.com/alarabiya_brk/status/1650407480697004032?s=46". Twitter. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  22. ^ Sporadic gunfire in Khartoum despite new truce
  23. ^ "Fighting Devastates Sudan's West Darfur". Human Rights Watch. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  24. ^ Camille (1 May 2023). "Nearly 200 dead in West Darfur violence: situation 'extremely dangerous'". Dabanga Radio TV Online. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  25. ^ "Bloodshed in Sudan's Darfur as Hemeti's allies and enemies vie for control". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
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