RSF Commander Killed in Sudan Airstrike

On Saturday, websites affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced the death of one of their prominent military commanders, who was killed during ongoing battles with the Sudanese army in Sennar, southeastern Sudan. However, no official confirmation has been posted on the RSF's verified account on the "X" platform.

Initial information obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat suggests that the RSF commander in the Blue Nile sector, Abdul Rahman Al-Bishi, was likely killed in early morning airstrikes by the Sudanese army on Saturday, targeting advancing forces towards Sennar.

Al-Bishi hailed from the "Rufa'a" tribe in Blue Nile state, which has extensive connections in central Sudan.

Al-Bishi led the forces that captured the headquarters of the "17th Infantry Division" in Sennar's capital city, Singa, after the army withdrew without a fight. Before that, he had secured the strategic Jebel Moya area, a crucial junction for three key states in south-central Sudan.

A senior RSF commander confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat the death of Abdul Rahman Al-Bishi but refrained from providing further details. Al-Bishi is the second prominent RSF leader to be killed in battles with the army, following the death of Central Darfur commander General Ali Yaqoub Jibril in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.

Al-Bishi managed to lead his forces out of Blue Nile state three weeks after the outbreak of war in April last year, joining the RSF in the capital, Khartoum. According to senior RSF military sources, Al-Bishi participated in numerous battles that paved the way for the full control of Khartoum before moving to secure forces that took over Gezira state (central Sudan).

His last public appearance was in video recordings alongside Major General Abu Aqla Kikil, commander of the First Division in Wad Madani, the capital of Gezira state, following the RSF's takeover of the main army garrison in Singa.

On Thursday, the RSF launched an attack on Sennar, in the far southeast of the country, but were repelled by the Sudanese army, which had consolidated its forces after withdrawing from Singa and Jebel Moya. The RSF aims to fully control Sennar state by capturing the city of Sennar.

Last week, the RSF announced the recapture of Dinder, one of the largest cities in Sennar state, following a failed assault by a joint force of armed factions from the Darfur region, which had come to support the Sudanese army in reclaiming the city.