Four people were killed and 12 others injured in a drone attack on Damazin, the capital of Sudan's Blue Nile state. Military and government sources attributed the attack to the Rapid Support Forces, amid escalating fighting and growing displacement from several areas of the state. The spokesperson for the Blue Nile state government said in media statements that the bombardment killed four citizens and injured 12 others, including women and children.
Blue Nile finance minister's home targeted
He added that most of those killed and injured were women and children. A Sudanese army source said the drones that attacked Damazin belonged to the Rapid Support Forces. In the same attack, a government source confirmed that the home of the Blue Nile state finance minister had been targeted by drones.
The source said the finance minister, his family members and his security detail survived the attack without any injuries. The targeting of the state capital came as Blue Nile has witnessed sustained military escalation in recent days, alongside continued clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces.
1,770 people displaced from villages in Wad al-Mahi
The International Organisation for Migration said 354 families, comprising about 1,770 people, had been displaced from several villages in Wad al-Mahi locality in Blue Nile state, attributing the new displacement to deteriorating security conditions in the area. The villages abandoned by residents included Amiri, Jabal Nimr, Abu Qadaf, Bashkarkat, Ab Jankour, Makla, Mankita, Jabal al-Nu, Mizna and Mansheling. The organisation said the displaced people headed to al-Roseires locality.
A day earlier, it recorded the displacement of 2,800 people from 560 families in 10 villages in Wad al-Mahi on Saturday because of deteriorating security. On 13 September, the organisation said the number of displaced people in Blue Nile state had reached 99,277, comprising 19,497 families, between 11 January and 23 August.
Blue Nile state is witnessing military escalation amid attacks by the Rapid Support Forces and its ally, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, on several areas of the state. The security developments have led to increased displacement towards areas residents consider safer.
Al-Burhan insists on military option
In a related development, Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan confirmed that the army would continue pursuing a military resolution, pledging to «liberate every inch of the homeland» from the Rapid Support Forces. During a public meeting in the Fifth Village in Merowe locality, Northern State, al-Burhan said the armed forces would continue what he described as «the complete cleansing of the national territory» of the Rapid Support Forces.
He reiterated the government's refusal to negotiate with those forces, stressing that efforts would continue to achieve security and stability and preserve Sudan's unity. The Sudanese government rejects any political settlement that it believes equates the state with the Rapid Support Forces.
Arrangements to discuss Sudan's African membership
It also requires, before entering any truce or dialogue, the forces' withdrawal from cities and public institutions, the handing over of weapons, and the assembly of their members in camps, as well as accountability for those involved in violations. Politically, Sudanese Foreign Minister and Minister of International Cooperation Mohieddin Salem revealed arrangements for an expected visit to Sudan by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission to discuss the country's suspended membership of the union.
Salem said the anticipated visit would be devoted to consultations on Sudan's status within the African Union, adding that «the ball is now in the union's court» to correct its position on what is happening in the country. He said the continued suspension of Sudan's membership did not serve the union, noting that Sudan is a central country on the continent and should be part of the continental organisation's activities.
The military and political developments come as the war that erupted in Sudan in April 2023 between the army and the Rapid Support Forces continues. It has created one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, killed tens of thousands and displaced millions of Sudanese inside and outside the country.
