Rhino: Agencies – Middle East newspaper said today, Sunday, that the great state of confusion in the Sudanese army and its supporters after the Rapid Support Forces seized the “17th Division – Sinja”, reveals the strategic importance of the region, which controls a network of roads linking the east, west and south of the country, and close to other hot spots. Therefore, the army remained silent about any information, then issued a timid statement that it is “steadfast, coherent and fighting the enemy steadily and with high morale,” a statement that the RSF declared its inaccuracy by confirming that its forces have controlled it since Saturday night.

The city of Sinja is the capital of Sennar state, located 55 km from the largest city in the state of the same name, and about 160 km from Damazin, the capital of Blue Nile state. It controls the land routes linking the east, west and south of the country, mainly the Sennar-Rabak road and the Damazin-Sennar road.

 In addition to being the capital of the state, it is the headquarters of the 17th Division which makes it a key to other military areas targeted by the RSF, including besieging the main forces in Sennar city from the south and west, and putting them in the pincers of the RSF units that control Jebel Moya and Gezira state.

The army and citizens were surprised by the appearance of the two RSF commanders in the region, Abdulrahman al-Bishi and Abu Aqla Kikel, announcing from inside the office of the commander of the 17th Division, the capture of the city, which retired Major General Kamal Ismail described as “confusing”, saying: “The war in Sudan is comprehensive, in which there is no surprise, and Sinja is a state capital with a military division, and its fall so easily, and the fall of Wad Madani before it with the same ease, is really confusing.”

In his statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, the retired general attributed what he described as “the ease of the fall of Sinja” to the lack of cohesion within the army, saying: “There are deficiencies in the management of operations and supplies, which led to low morale.” He continued: “We have previously called for stopping the war and not being drawn to the Muslim Brotherhood, as they are the first enemy of the army”.

General Ismail explained that the RSF uses tactics that confuse the army, as it skirmishes in specific areas, but at the same time, it advances to achieve strategic objectives in other areas, due to its agility and ability to deploy quickly.

For his part, retired Lieutenant Colonel Al-Tayeb Al-Malkabi, a military expert, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the fall of the 17th Division in Sinja has isolated the east of the country from the south and west, and put the Sennar military region between three fires. He added: “The fall of Sinja exposed the back of the eastern and southern regions, and isolated them completely, as Gedaref, Faw, Blue Nile state and its capital, Damazin, became isolated from supply lines.

Lieutenant Colonel Malikabi explains that the fall of other cities has become a matter of time, because the supply lines of the armed forces will be completely cut off, especially the supply of the airbase at Kenana Airport in White Nile State. He said:(Kenana Air Base is the operational base for the Ababil aircraft used by the army in its air operations, and the RSF’s seizure of Sinja creates great difficulty for the movement of fuel and weapons, because it does not have strategic stores for military operations, nor strategic stores for aircraft fuel and spare parts).

Militarily, Lieutenant Colonel Malikabi said that the fall of Sinja reveals a shift in the RSF’s tactics, from targeting the largest city in the state, to targeting and controlling the second city.) “If the RSF continues to use this tactic, it will suffocate large cities and put them in a pincer,” he said. “Sennar is the first city in Sennar State, and neighboring Kosti is the largest city in White Nile State, but the present cities of these two states are Sinja and Rabak.

He warned that the fall of Sinja would open the way to Khashm al-Qirba and Halfa, which are the second cities in Gedaref state, and put it in a pincer from all sides.

Lieutenant Colonel Malikabi attributed the ease with which the RSF captured the strategic military base to the army’s inadequate intelligence and its falling into the trap of the RSF’s tactics). “The army’s intelligence was expecting the RSF to attack the cities of Kosti or Rabak in White Nile, or to re-attack the city of Sennar, completely excluding Sinja,” he said.

The military expert ruled out the possibility of mobilizing forces from nearby Sennar to retake Sinja, because this would expose the forces that were assembled there to protect the city to great risk, given the presence of the RSF in nearby Jebel Mweya, which could renew the attack again, threatening to topple it.) “If the army moves forces from Sennar to liberate Sinja, it will put it at risk, as the surrounding cities: He added: “The biggest issue that resulted from the fall of Sinja is that the eastern bank of the Blue Nile River has practically become under the control of the RSF, and if the forces move south, they could move towards Sinnar to topple it.” He continued: “The biggest issue that resulted from the fall of Sinja is that the eastern bank of the Blue Nile River has practically become under the RSF.

Political analyst Mohammed Latif told Asharq Al-Awsat that the RSF’s seizure of Sinja gives it a new political victory in addition to the military victory and may change the negotiating position and make it set new negotiating conditions.

Latif believes that the RSF’s seizure of Sinja as a link to all parts of Sudan, in addition to its proximity to Sennar, Madani, Rabak, Al-Rahad, Faw and Gedaref, opens supply routes and areas of deployment, cuts it off from the army, and enables it to obtain a much-needed strategic location.