| Battle of Merowe Airport | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present) | |||||||
 | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Sudanese Armed Forces  Egypt |  Rapid Support Forces | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 204 POWs | Unknown | ||||||
The battle of Merowe Airport happened in April 2023 during the Sudanese civil war. It involved fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for control of the city of Merowe and its airport, and began with the RSF taking over 200 Egyptian soldiers as prisoners of war.
On 11 April 2023, RSF forces deployed near the city of Merowe and in Khartoum. [1] Government forces ordered them to leave, but they refused. This led to clashes when RSF forces took control of the Soba military base south of Khartoum. [1] On 13 April, RSF forces began their mobilization, raising fears of a potential rebellion against the junta. The SAF declared the mobilization illegal. [2]
At noon on April 15, RSF forces claimed to have captured Merowe Airport. [3] In their statement, they claimed to have captured several Egyptian soldiers at the airport as well, along with a plane with markings of the Egyptian Air Force. [4] [5] While initially no official explanation was given for the Egyptian soldiers' presence, Egypt later stated around 200 of their soldiers were conducting exercises with the Sudanese military. [6]
The next day, at around 13:30 local time, the SAF announced the rescue of a major general and a brigadier, along with the arrests of multiple officers at Merowe airport. The SAF also claimed the capture of the airport, with videos showing army vehicles storming the base. [7] The army also claimed several RSF leaders had deserted or surrendered to the SAF. [3] Some RSF members that deserted brought the Egyptian prisoners with them. [3]
Fighting broke out the next day west of Merowe Airport, and by 10:00 AM local time, the RSF claimed to have full control over the airport. [8] [9] On April 18, eyewitnesses reported seeing an RSF column heading away from the perimeter of the airport towards al-Multaqa following SAF airstrikes on the airport. [10] By April 19, the SAF had regained full control over the airport, although it had been destroyed. [11] The RSF still claimed to have a presence in other parts of Merowe. The Sudanese Army gained full control over Merowe by April 21. [12]
The RSF claimed on April 17 to aid in efforts to repatriate the Egyptian prisoners of war. However, the group announced that they had moved the soldiers to Khartoum on April 19 and would hand them over when the "appropriate opportunity" arose. [13] Of the 204 Egyptian troops taken prisoner, 177 were flown back to Egypt that same day. The remaining 27 soldiers sheltered at the Egyptian embassy in Khartoum. [14]
On 29 November 2024, the SAF claimed that the RSF used 16 suicide drones in an attempt to attack the airport. SAF states that all 16 suicide drones have been destroyed. [15]
Geneina is a city in West Darfur, part of the dar Masalit region, in Sudan. It joined British Sudan at the end of 1919 through the Gilani Agreement, signed between the Masalit Sultanate and the United Kingdom, according to which it became a territory.
Merowe Airport is an airport serving the town of Merowe in Sudan. After critical facilities were completed in 2006, the current airport replaced the smaller Merowe Town airport 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the west. The new Merowe airport has hosted Sudanese Air Force jet fighters, but does not host any full time units stationed.
The Rapid Support Forces is a paramilitary force formerly operated by the government of Sudan. The RSF grew out of, and is primarily composed of, the Janjaweed militias which previously fought on behalf of the Sudanese government. Its actions in Darfur were deemed crimes against humanity by Human Rights Watch.
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, generally referred to mononymously as Hemedti, is a Sudanese military officer and the current head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A Janjaweed leader from the Rizeigat tribe in Darfur, he was the Deputy head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) following the 2019 Sudanese coup d'état. Since 2013, Hemetti has commanded the RSF. He was considered by The Economist to be the most powerful person in Sudan as of early July 2019.
The following lists events during 2023 in the Republic of the Sudan.
A civil war between two major rival factions of the military government of Sudan, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its allies under the Janjaweed leader Hemedti, began during Ramadan on 15 April 2023. Three minor (neutral) factions have participated in the fighting: the Darfur Joint Protection Force, the SLM (al-Nur) under Abdul Wahid al-Nur, and the SPLM-N under Abdelaziz al-Hilu. Fighting has been concentrated around the capital city of Khartoum and the Darfur region. As of 14 November 2024, at least 61,000 people had been killed in Khartoum State alone, of which 26,000 were a direct result of the violence. As of 5 July 2024, over 7.7 million were internally displaced and more than 2.1 million others had fled the country as refugees, and many civilians in Darfur have been reported dead as part of the Masalit massacres.
The battle of Khartoum is an ongoing major battle for control of Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan, with fighting in and around the city between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and the Sudanese Armed Forces. The battle began on 15 April 2023, after the RSF captured Khartoum International Airport, several military bases, and the presidential palace, starting an escalating series of clashes.
The Darfur campaign or Darfur offensive is a theatre of operation in the war in Sudan that affects five states in Darfur: South Darfur, East Darfur, North Darfur, Central Darfur and West Darfur. The offensive mainly started on 15 April 2023 in West Darfur where the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) forces captured Geneina, the conflict came after several days of high tensions between the forces and the government.
The following is a timeline of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present) in 2023.
The Battle of Nyala was a battle for control of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur in Sudan, between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and the Sudanese Armed Forces during the ongoing Darfur campaign. The first battle occurred between 15 and 20 April 2023, during which hundreds were reported dead. A civilian-brokered ceasefire paused the fighting by April 20. Sporadic clashes broke out between May and July. In August 2023, the RSF launched an offensive on the city. The SAF launched air campaigns against the RSF in Nyala, with many civilian casualties in Taiba and El Matar. In late September, the RSF besieged the headquarters the SAF's 16th Infantry Division headquarters, capturing it on October 26.
The Treaty of Jeddah or Jeddah Declaration is an international agreement that was made to make peace in Sudan. The Treaty of Jeddah, which was signed by the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan and representatives of both warring sides on 20 May 2023, entered into force 48 hours later on 22 May 2023. The agreement was intended to facilitate a week-long ceasefire and the distribution of humanitarian aid within the country. The agreement expired suddenly after a surge of clashes on 23 May 2023, a day after the agreement came into effect. With the actual date of expiry being 27 May 2023, the nations agreed on an extension for five days but was shortened due to the agreement's ineffectiveness.
The siege of El Obeid was a siege in El-Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan, during the 2023 Sudan conflict. The battle began on April 15, and saw the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) capture the El Obeid airport from the Sudanese Army contingent in the city. Throughout April and May, the Sudanese Army repelled several RSF assaults on the city, although by May 30, the RSF fully surrounded the city and laid siege to it.
The civil war in Sudan, which started on 15 April 2023, has seen widespread war crimes committed by both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with the RSF being singled out by the Human Rights Watch, and the United Kingdom and United States governments for committing ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
The following lists events during 2024 in the Republic of the Sudan.
The Central Reserve Forces (CRP), also known as Abu Tira due to the eagle on its logo, is a militarised police unit in Sudan known for committing atrocities during the War in Darfur and the Sudanese revolution. The CRP is sanctioned by the US for "serious human rights abuses".
Since 15 April 2023, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have occupied the Khartoum International Airport, Sudan's most important airport, during the War in Sudan as part of the Battle of Khartoum.
The Al-Bara' ibn Malik Battalion, also spelled as El-Baraa Ibn Malik or Abaraa Iban Malik, is a Sudanese Islamist militia that emerged within the complex network of militias and armed factions in Sudan, operating within the Sudanese Popular Resistance movement. The militia is linked to the Popular Defence Forces, a paramilitary group that was active during Bashir regime era, and currently known as the 'Shadow Battalions'. It has been active in supporting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in their ongoing battles against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The Popular Resistance, also known as the Popular mobilisation, is a conglomerate of armed factions in Sudan that was formed in response to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This conflict, rooted in a power struggle within the country's military structure, erupted into full-scale war on 15 April 2023.
The following is a timeline of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present) in 2024.
The Wad Al-Noora massacre started at around 05:00 (GMT+2) on 5 June 2024, when the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked the village of Wad Al-Noora in Al-Jazira state twice, killing at least 100 civilians. The massacre followed after the RSF sieged and opened fire on the village.
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