An Antonov aircraft has reportedly struck El Geneina toward El Shaheed Sebira Airport in West Darfur State.
On Thursday morning, eyewitnesses told Radio Tamazuj that the Antonov aircraft dropped three explosive barrels at the airport, and the sound of explosive barrels created a state of fear and panic among citizens in El Geneina.
The casualties of Thursday’s airstrike remain unclear.
Civil Society Activist Yousif Mohammed Yousif queried the timing of the attack, saying the timing of the airstrikes on El Geneina was inappropriate and caused anguish and fear among residents.
“The army division fell in the hands of Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and the state governor was killed in June, but yet the air forces did not intervene. Why are the air forces intervening now?” he asked.
Mohammed said the bombing of the town now has no meaning after life has returned to normal and the city has stabilized, unless the goal is to undermine stability.
Hafiz Idris, a Sudanese lawyer, said that the airstrike caused panic and fear among citizens after the state stabilized.
“It appears that the military rulers in Port Sudan do not want stability for the state. The aircraft struck certain social groups in Wadi and Furqan,” Idris said.
Army Spokesperson Nabil Abdalla could not immedaitely be reached for comment.
Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces took control of the army headquarters in West Darfur’s capital, El Geneina, in November 2023.
The war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that erupted on 15 April 2023 has killed more than 13,000 people, according to a conservative estimate by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.
Around 7.5 million civilians have fled the fighting either abroad or to other parts of the country, according to United Nations figures.