El Fasher, July 27(Darfur 24)
Military sources revealed on Sunday that nine Rapid Support Forces (RSF ) prisoners of war (POW) managed to escape from a prison belonging to the Joint Force of armed movements allied with the army, in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, late last week.
The sources told Darfur 24, “Nine Rapid Support Forces personnel, who were captured during various battles in El Fasher, managed to escape from one of the Joint Force prisons.”
the source indicated that the prison is located within the headquarters of the former United Nations-African Union Mission UNAMID in El Fasher.
A source within the joint force, based within the mission’s premises, stated that the POW ‘ escape from the prison occurred late last week, but that the commanders responsible for prison administration concealed the incident.
Another leader in the joint force in El Fasher confirmed that they received a report indicating the incident occurred on Sunday morning, before the escape was confirmed.
He indicated that the escape had occurred three days earlier, according to the testimony of one of the prisoners who was part of the group, but he refused to escape with his colleagues.
The leader accused elements within the intelligence of the Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Minni Arko Minawi, of involvement in the escape, noting that the incident sparked widespread controversy within the allied movements present at the former UNAMID headquarters.
He added, “How were the prisoners able to cross the defense lines without prior coordination?”
A senior army intelligence officer in El Fasher said they had not received official reports of the escape from the joint force.
The Rapid Support Forces have been launching violent attacks on El Fasher since May 10, 2024, in an attempt to seize control of the last army stronghold in Darfur. However, the army and its allied forces are fiercely defending the city.
RSF hold segment of the eastern neighborhoods and some of the southern neighborhoods of El Fasher, while the armed forces control the western and northern neighborhoods, the city center, and parts of the southern neighborhoods.