Sudanese Armed Forces gain control over another area amid deadly conflict

The Sudanese Armed Forces on Saturday announced their control over the Lamab area in the southern part of Sudan's capital Khartoum, as the deadly conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces raged on in the capital and other parts across the country.

The armored troops of the Sudanese Armed Forces launched attacks from its headquarters in southern Khartoum, and defeated the Rapid Support Forces, seizing a large number of weapons and ammunition and establishing full control over the Lamab area, which sits near the base, the Sudanese Armed Forces said.

Currently, the Sudanese Armed Forces are searching the area and will advance further towards central and northern Khartoum.

Since starting their largest operation in Khartoum on September 26, the Sudanese Armed Forces have secured control over three crucial bridges in Khartoum, as well as areas of Alhalfaia and Alkadrou in northern Khartoum, and the Almogran region.

The conflict has inflicted severe hardships on residents around the capital. Those living in the Tuti Island, which is situated at the confluence of the Blue and the White Nile and is controlled by the Rapid Support Forces after the outbreak of the conflict, are grappling with numerous challenges including power outages, gas shortages, and scarcities of food and medical supplies.

Several humanitarian agencies called on the international community to exert pressure on the warring parties, urging them to facilitate the safe evacuation of stranded civilians.

Furthermore, the Sudanese Armed Forces have deployed a significant number of fighter jets for extensive airstrikes targeting the Rapid Support Forces in Darfur and Gezira states. In response, the Rapid Support Forces have shelled Alfashir, the capital of Darfur.

The deadly conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 15, 2023 has caused more than 24,000 deaths and the displacement of millions.

The Sudanese government on Saturday said it has agreed to open four additional airports for humanitarian agencies to deliver aid to the war-torn country, according to Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council.

The airports to be opened are in the cities of Kassala, Dongola, El Obeid, and Kadugli, said the sovereign council in a statement.

Along with the previously-opened Port Sudan Airport and the Merowe Airport, there are now six airports and seven land crossings available to international organizations, the statement said.

China's civil aviation industry handled 800,000 tonnes of air freight in September, up 13.9 percent year on year, hitting their highest in months, according to the country's civil aviation authorities. China's air cargo transport showed a sound growth momentum with increasing freight volume on both the domestic and the international routes. Air freight volume on the domestic routes saw a 7.5 percent year-on-year increase to 484,000 tonnes and air cargo traffic on the international routes went up 25.3 percent year on year to 315,000 tonnes, statistics from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) showed.

Air freight volume reached 6.48 million tonnes in the January-September period, up 24.4 percent year on year, with the domestic routes handling 3.89 million tonnes of air cargo, up 19.4 percent year on year, and the international routes handling 2.6 million tonnes of air cargo, up 32.8 percent year on year.