Darfur campaign

Darfur campaign
The Darfur campaign or Darfur offensive is a theatre of operation in the 2023 war in Sudan that affects five states in Darfur: South Darfur, East Darfur, North Darfur, Central Darfur and West Darfur. The offensive mainly started on 15 April 2023 in West Darfur where the RSF forces captured Geneina, the conflict came after several days of high tensions between the forces and the government.
The Battle of Geneina and the Battle of Nyala were the largest battles of the campaign, which all in total killed an hundreds of civilians and both ended up with a RSF victory between 20 April to 2 May 2023.
Overview of War
In the early hours of the morning of 15 April 2023, soldiers loyal to the Rapid Support Forces started a series of assaults on key buildings in Khartoum, primarily the Khartoum International Airport. While the international airport was captured by the RSF, street battles continued throughout Khartoum and the neighboring cities of Omdurman and Bahri. The RSF also captured the presidential palace, the residence of the former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, and attacked a military base. Users on Facebook Live and Twitter documented the Sudanese Air Force flying above the city, and striking the RSF targets.
Origin in Darfur
The history of conflicts in Sudan has consisted of foreign invasions and resistance, ethnic tensions, religious disputes, and competition over resources. In its modern history, two civil wars between the central government and the southern regions killed 1.5 million people, and a continuing conflict in the western region of Darfur has displaced two million people and killed more than 200,000 people. Since independence in 1956, Sudan has had more than fifteen military coups and it has also been ruled by the military for the majority of the republic's existence, with only brief periods of democratic civilian parliamentary rule.
Former president and military strongman Omar al-Bashir presided over the War in Darfur, a region in the west of the country, and oversaw state-sponsored violence in the region of Darfur, leading to charges of war crimes and genocide. Approximately 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million forcibly displaced in the early part of the Darfur conflict; the intensity of the violence later declined. Key figures in the Darfur conflict included Mohamed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo, a warlord who commanded the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) which evolved from the janjaweed, a collection of Arab militias drawn from camel-trading tribes active in Darfur and portions of Chad.
Offensive battles
Geneina
On 15 April 2023, Geneina, the capital of West Darfur. Was captured and occupied by RSF forces, with little resistance, except at Geneina Airport. The occupation of the city lasted until 25 April 2023, when a battle for the city resumed and was reportedly 'deadly'. By the end of the battle, over 200 people had been confirmed to be killed, with the number estimated to be much higher between soldiers and civilians. On 27 April 2023, a video was posted of an RSF soldier in front of the Geneina Police Headquarters with a gun, confirming it's capture by the RSF. The battle ended on 2 May 2023 when Geneina was confirmed to be captured by RSF forces, with RSF also recapturing several areas of the province.
Nyala
Fighting broke out in Nyala on April 15. The RSF initially captured the city's airport, and fierce clashes took place in the Sudanese Army's 16th division headquarters nearby. As clashes spread into the city, RSF and unknown armed men ransacked businesses, administrative buildings, and NGO offices. Civilians brokered a ceasefire on April 20. There are sporadic clashes until August 8, and the RSF begin an offensive August 11.
Kabkabiya
One day after the war started, Kabkabiya was quickly captured by the 21st Brigade of RSF after intense clashes in the district, causing an unknown number of casualties. The leader of RSF announced on TV the capture of the district.
Notes
References
Battles of the war in Sudan (2023)
April 2023 events in Sudan
May 2023 events in Sudan
Battles in 2023
Battles involving Sudan
West Darfur
Darfur