The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) has documented an incident on 19 November 2023, where the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) engaged in a gunfight at the SAF base in Eldien town also known as Division 20 injuring 68 people. ACJPS reiterates its calls to RSF and SAF to engage in peaceful dialogue to find a lasting and peaceful solution to the conflict, honor ceasefire pacts, and respect citizens’ rights to life and property.
On 20 November 2023, at about 04:30 am, the RSF seized and took control of the SAF base. A reliable source informed ACJPS that the circumstances surrounding the takeover were quite different because the warring parties were not involved in any gunfight whatsoever and that the RSF entered the base and did not face any resistance from SAF. This is because SAF had withdrawn from the base at around 11:00 am on 19 November 2023 after the gunfight and moved towards the south and southwest direction.
The Native Administration of the Rezigate tribe is responsible for stopping the gunfight between the parties as it intervened and communicated to both the RSF and SAF to ceasefire. The native administration was represented by the deputy head, Mr. Afadil Saeed Musa Madibbo in the meeting with the warring parties.