Siege of Babanusa

Last updated
Siege of Babanusa
Part of War in Sudan
DateInitial assault: 22 January – 5 February 2024, (2 weeks)
Location
Status

SAF victory

  • SAF repels initial assault. [1]
Belligerents
Insignia of the Sudanese Armed Forces.svg Sudanese Armed Forces Emblem of the Rapid Support Forces.png Rapid Support Forces
Commanders and leaders
Unknown Abdel Rahim Daglo [2]

The Siege of Babanusa was a siege during the War in Sudan. The siege started when fighting erupted between the RSF and the SAF on 22 January 2024. [3]

Contents

Prelude

On 13 January 2024 SAF launched airstrikes on the nearby city of El Tibbun. In retaliation the RSF mobilized significant forces in various directions around Babanusa, including in El Tibbun, Samoaa in the southwest, and Muglad in the south. [4]

Siege

On 22 January 2024, a Rapid Support Forces offensive began, aiming to seize control of the 22nd Infantry Division headquarters in Babanusa, West Kordofan. [5]

The initial assault went well for the RSF, capturing several police stations and also releasing videos of RSF soldiers inside of the 22nd Infantry Divisions headquarters, signaling its capture. Later counterattack attempts from the SAF succeeded and RSF forces were pushed out of the headquarters. [4]

The siege also escalated an already dire humanitarian crisis in Sudan, displacing another 45,000 people. [6] [4]

A two-day ceasefire was held on 28 January by Misseriya native administration to allow civilians to escape the conflict, however the fighting continued despite the ceasefire attempts. [4]

In an audio recording on February 11, Hemedti claimed victory in Babanusa and Omdurman. The Sudanese Army responded within a few hours denying this claim and accused Hemedti of "misinformation."The statement further claimed that the RSF suffered "heavy losses" in recent clashes with the army. The Sudanese Army released videos showing their troops in control of the Mohandiseen area and asserted that its forces controlled the Babanusa garrison. [7]

Casualties

Fifty civilians died and significant property damage occurred due to the siege as of January 2024. [6] [8]

Total casualties is said to be 100 people. [4]

Related Research Articles

The Janjaweed are an Arab nomad militia group from the Sahel region that operates in Sudan, particularly in Darfur, and eastern Chad. They have also been speculated to be active in Yemen. According to the United Nations definition, Janjaweed membership consists of Arab nomad tribes from the Sahel, the core of whom are from the Abbala Arabs, traditionally employed in camel herding, with significant recruitment from the Baggara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North</span> Political party and militant organisation in Sudan

The Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North, or SPLM–N, is a political party and militant organisation in the Republic of Sudan, based in the states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan. The group's armed forces are formally known as the Sudan People's Liberation Army–North or SPLA–N. As of 2017, its two factions, SPLM-N (Agar) and SPLM-N (al-Hilu) were engaged in fighting each other and against the government of Sudan, and as of 2023, the al-Hilu faction is fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), while the leader of the Agar faction was appointed into the military-run government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile</span> 2011–2020 insurgency in southern Sudan

The Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile was an armed conflict in the Sudanese states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N), a northern affiliate of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in South Sudan. After some years of relative calm following the 2005 agreement which ended the second Sudanese civil war between the Sudanese government and SPLM rebels, fighting broke out again in the lead-up to South Sudan independence on 9 July 2011, starting in South Kordofan on 5 June and spreading to the neighboring Blue Nile state in September. SPLM-N, splitting from newly independent SPLM, took up arms against the inclusion of the two southern states in Sudan with no popular consultation and against the lack of democratic elections. The conflict is intertwined with the War in Darfur, since in November 2011 SPLM-N established a loose alliance with Darfuri rebels, called Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapid Support Forces</span> Sudanese paramilitary force formed in 2013

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 qualify as crimes against humanity in the opinion of Human Rights Watch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemedti</span> Sudanese military officer, former warlord and Janjaweed mercenary

Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, generally referred to mononymously as Hemedti, Hemetti, Hemeti, or Hemitte, is a Janjaweed leader from the Rizeigat tribe in Darfur, who was the Deputy head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) following the 2019 Sudanese coup d'état. Since 2013, Hemetti has commanded the Rapid Support Forces (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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudanese civil war (2023–present)</span> Ongoing military conflict in Sudan since 2023

A civil war between two 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) under the Janjaweed leader, Hemedti, began during Ramadan on 15 April 2023. Fighting has been concentrated around the capital city of Khartoum and the Darfur region. As of 21 January 2024, at least 13,000–15,000 people had been killed and 33,000 others were injured. As of 30 April, over 6.7 million were internally displaced and more than two million others had fled the country as refugees, and many civilians in Darfur have been reported dead as part of the Masalit massacres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Khartoum (2023–present)</span> Battle during the 2023 Sudan conflict

The battle of Khartoum is an ongoing 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 following is a timeline of the War in Sudan 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of El Fasher</span> Battle during the 2023 Sudan conflict

The Battle of El Fasher is an ongoing battle for control of the town of El Fasher in North Darfur during the Sudan conflict. The first battle for the city took place between April 15 and April 20 2023, and resulted in a ceasefire that held until May 12. Clashes broke out again between May 12 and 29, and ended with a more stable ceasefire that lasted until August. By September, the city had become a haven for refugees across the region, and was also suffering from food and water shortages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of El Obeid</span> Siege in the 2023 Sudan conflict

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 Battle of Kutum was a conflict during the War in Sudan which occurred in and around the town of Kutum in North Darfur. The Rapid Support Forces quickly overran the city, and carried out massacres in the city and the neighboring Kassab IDP camp. The group then attacked neighboring villages in early June.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Zalingei</span> Siege during the Darfur campaign of the 2023 Sudan conflict

The siege of Zalingei was a siege in the city of Zalingei, Central Darfur, Sudan, during the 2023 Sudan conflict.

The Battle of Kadugli is an ongoing siege in Kaduqli, South Kordofan State, Sudan, during the 2023 Sudan conflict. It involves two unaligned rebel factions, the SPLM-N and the Rapid Support Forces, that are trying to capture the city from the Sudanese Armed Forces.

The following lists events during 2024 in the Republic of the Sudan.

The Battle of Wad Madani was a battle in the War in Sudan over the control of Wad Madani, the capital of Gezira State in east-central Sudan, between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The battle ended in an RSF victory on 19 December 2023.

Dibebad (Arabic: ديبيباد), or Debibad, is a town in South Kordofan, Sudan. It is located 56 kilometres (35 mi) north of Dalang. It has been a site of conflict, with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) involved in heavy fighting. On 8 January 2024, SAF warplanes attacked RSF positions in Dibebad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popular Resistance of Sudan</span> Armed factions in Sudan (2023–present)

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 War in Sudan (2023–present) in 2024.

References

  1. Rana (2024-01-26). "Sudan: The SAF Breaks the Siege". acleddata. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  2. "Heavy fighting erupts between Sudanese army, RFS in West Kordofan's Babanusa". Sudan Tribune. 23 January 2024.
  3. SudanTribune (2024-01-24). "Brutal fighting continues in W. Kordofan's Babanusa for third day". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 ACLED, Communications (2024-02-16). "Sudan Situation Update: February 2024 | Sudan: The SAF Breaks the Siege". ACLED. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  5. Monitor, Sudan War. "Sudan army at risk of another disaster in Babanusa". sudanwarmonitor.com. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
  6. 1 2 SudanTribune (2024-01-26). "Deadly clashes between Sudanese army and RSF continue in Kordofan's Babanusa". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  7. "Sudanese army denies RSF leader claims of fresh victories". Sudan Tribune. 12 February 2024.
  8. SudanTribune (2024-01-24). "Brutal fighting continues in W. Kordofan's Babanusa for third day". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 2024-01-28.