RSF Better Equipped than SAF: Sudanese Soldiers Recall
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Salma Hossein
- . November 16, 2023
- . Update: November 16, 2023 3:38 pm
The Rapid Support Forces onslaught on Ardamata prompted Sudanese soldiers to abandon the SAF army base and run for their lives earlier this month. Soldiers with the Sudanese Armed Forces said they were overwhelmed by a better equipped RSF.
“There was no equivalence between the capacities of our division and the attackers, which continued striking us with drones. We ran out of weapons, munitions and even supplies. It is regrettable for me to say that the army leadership left us without supplies or munitions for a long time.”
It should be noted that the RSF is backed by the Russian mercenary Wagner Group. It has equipped Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces with drones (armed and surveillance) and missiles. Mohammed Torshin, Sudanese security analyst, said in August that RSF’s use of drones suggests the crisis in Sudan could grow worse. He believes it would alter the balance of power.
RSF Gains Military Victories
The RSF, which is being controlled by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), is giving the Sudanese Armed Forces a run, with significant military victories in the western Sudanese region. It now effectively controls, since late October, five of the six states that make up Dafur.
Jihad Mashamoun, a political analyst, says the war in Sudan has become a war of attrition. “The RSF decided to expand its control in their hinterland of Dafur while attacking strategic military bases in Khartoum.” It has taken effective control of all of Zalingei and strengthened its position in El Geneina.
Mohanad Elbala, a Sudanese analyst, says the SAF withdrawal can be seen as a result of the lack of supply lines. “The RSF doesn’t usually launch an attack on someone unless there is a big concentration of numbers, so they have been attacking bases in Dafur in waves in order to deplete the SAF’s resources, including ammunition, or cut their supply lines.”
Elbala said the RSF is an irregular force without a rigid chain of command. This group is not organized to maintain the security of the territory and has a long track record of atrocities.
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RSF to Cooperate in Investigations
Meanwhile, Dagalo affirmed the RSF’s readiness to cooperate with investigation committees into crimes committed in Dafur following the outbreak of conflict with the Sudanese army. He said the RSF is committed to holding accountable any individual who violates the rights of others and threatens their safety. “We affirm our readiness to cooperate with any investigation committees and to bring any individual proven to be involved in any violations to a fair trial.”
Dagalo reiterated that the RSF will not provide protection to those who engage in unlawful acts and will confront them with firmness and deterrence.
