Umm Dafuq, February 3(Darfur24)
Russian forces stationed in the Central African Republic (CAR )separated Chadian rebels who were divided on ethnic grounds and fought in the Hajr Fatna area in Brau Governorate, adjacent to the Sudanese border, opposite the Umm Dafuq area in South Darfur State, Sudan.
A Darfur24 correspondent on the border between the two countries heard the testimony of six people, some of whom were Sudanese travelers and others were citizens of the Central African Republic, who confirmed to Darfur24 that the National Democratic Movement for Solidarity and Action groups fought two battles on January 16 and 25, which resulted in a number of deaths and injuries on both sides, and tensions are still prevalent on both sides of the border between the Central African Republic and Sudan.
A local official inside the territory of Central African Republic( CAR) told Darfur24 that a group of Arab tribes intertwined with Sudan from the rebel movement joined the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces after the outbreak of war in Sudan; While the Wadai and Sara tribes refused to join the Rapid Support Forces( RSF) and preferred to continue their opposition to the N’Djamena government, a period of hostility and ambush between the two groups followed, which exploded with the Arab group’s attack on the other’s camp in the Hajar Fatna area, about 36 kilometers east of the city of Brau. They were able to kill a number of Wadai and Sara fighters and seize weapons and vehicles as a result of the attack. However, the Wadai and Sara group gathered again and attacked the desert of the Sudanese Fulani tribe – the Umm Barro branch – and the attack caused harm to the women of the desert and the theft of livestock before the Arab group attacked the Wadai and Sara group again in the Ramla and Mamoun areas in Brau province.
The local official, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Darfur24 that the Russian forces transferred some of the surviving rebels from Wadai and Sara to the Salia area to the south and the wounded to Brau Hospital, while they asked the Sudanese group to return towards the Sudanese border to the north, where the town of Umm Dafuq is located.
A resident of Umm Dafuq, who asked to be referred to by his grandfather’s name, “Ali,” said that tensions on the border, especially in the Umm Dafuq area, are increasing due to the activity of armed groups opposing Chad, which are based in the Central African Republic under the control and coordination of Russian government forces and agents of the Wagner security company, without the concerned state forces having control over the activity of these groups and their cross-border alliances; while the Rapid Support Forces are working to take advantage of this situation by attracting militants to their ranks.
Ali said that on January 17, Russian agents took men from the rebel movement from inside the Central African Republic to the Sudanese town of Umm Dafuq in coordination with the Rapid Support Forces to conduct a reconciliation between the two groups of the divided movement, but the allies of the Sudanese side refused to reconcile and instead asked the Wadai and Sara groups to join them or return to Chadian territory, which is about 105 kilometers from Hajr Fatna.
RSF control the Sudanese border on the side of the Darfur region, which borders four countries: Libya; Chad; The Central African Republic, in addition to South Sudan, has controlled the crossing points to and from these four countries since it was able to expel the Sudanese army forces from all the territory of the region, except for the army base in the city of El Fasher, which has remained steadfast against repeated attacks since May 2024.