El Fasher, October 7 (Darfur24)
Two Antonov and Russian-made warplanes carried out an airdrop operation over the Sudanese army headquarters in El Fasher at 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday, followed by an airstrike outside the city, according to eyewitnesses and military sources.
Witnesses reported that Rapid Support Forces (RSF) responded with heavy anti-aircraft fire, lighting up the night sky with tracer rounds as they targeted the aircraft.
A Sudanese military source said the airdropped cargo included weapons, ammunition, medical equipment, medicines, cash, and food supplies. He added that the materials were successfully received inside the 6th Infantry Division headquarters and surrounding neighborhoods.
The operation comes amid intensifying clashes between the Sudanese army and RSF forces across multiple fronts in El Fasher, which has been under RSF siege since April 2023. On Monday, fierce battles erupted in several parts of the city as RSF forces advanced from the south toward the Signal Corps, the Driving School, and the Medical Corps, reaching the Sultan Ali Dinar Mosque in the city center, according to local sources.
Last week’s airdrop was the first in nearly five months, after the RSF shot down a warplane earlier this year and deployed air defense systems covering large parts of North Darfur’s airspace.
The RSF has maintained a tight blockade on El Fasher, aiming to seize the city — the Sudanese army’s last military stronghold in Darfur — after capturing the divisions in Nyala, Zalingei, El Geneina, and El Daein in 2023.