Fresh Strikes Rock Sudan Cities Following US Visa Snub to Army Chief
Drone strikes and explosions were reported in two Sudanese cities on Sunday amid rising tensions over the country’s ongoing war and mounting international pressure for a ceasefire.
These attacks came after Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan denied changing his stance, despite the US withholding his visa for the 81st UN General Assembly session in New York.
Witnesses told AFP on Sunday that a drone strike hit a major fuel depot near Wad Madani, a city held by Sudan’s army in the country’s central Al-Jazira state. At the same time, other explosions were heard in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur and the RSF’s main stronghold in the west of the country.
The attack, near Wad Madani, was reported as the first strike on the capital of Al-Jazira state since the military reclaimed it from the RSF last year.
One witness told AFP, “A fire broke out at the depot, and I could see the flames from about three kilometres away.”
Another witness said he saw “a drone strike the fuel tanks” at the Umm Alaila fuel depot near Wad Madani in Central Sudan, which supplies several states in Central Sudan.
A witness in Nyala told AFP early Sunday he ” heard a plane in the sky, and a short while later the two explosions occurred”. Another witness told AFP, “This morning we heard two loud explosions.” Talking to others, one said, “Smoke was rising from central Nyala and RSF forces surrounded the area and closed the roads around it.
Sudan War Enters Fourth Year
The war in Sudan began in 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdam Dagalo, also known as Hemedti.
Eventually, the dispute escalated into fighting, plunging Sudan into a conflict that has raged for more than three years.
UN describes Sudan as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, as well as the world’s largest displacement crisis and biggest hunger crisis.
Burhan Rejects Pressure After US Visa Snub
Addressing thousands of youth gathered at Khartoum Stadium on Sunday, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said, “Our goal is to eliminate this militia no matter how long it takes,” adding that Sudan would not submit to “blackmail.”
“We do not want a visa from any country. We will stay here and die with you in this country.”
His remarks came a day after the visa denial by the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
A diplomatic source told AFP that Washington’s decision to withhold Burhan’s visa was related to its efforts to negotiate a three-month ceasefire between Sudan’s army and the RSF.
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