Sudan on High Alert: East Orta Militia Deploys Forces in Eastern Region
- A new militia, known as the "Eastern Oorta," has announced its deployment in eastern Sudan, in collaboration with the army forces.
- The Eastern Oorta militia, which received military training in neighboring Eritrea, is led by General Al-Amin Daoud Mahmoud.
- The militia's statement continued, "This falls within the strategy of the Eastern Orta forces to protect the land and honor together with the security system in the country."
New Militia Deployment in Eastern Sudan Amid Ongoing Conflict
A new militia, known as the “Eastern Oorta,” has announced its deployment in eastern Sudan, in collaboration with the army forces. This marks the first use of militias in areas not previously affected by the war.
The Eastern Oorta militia, which received military training in neighboring Eritrea, is led by General Al-Amin Daoud Mahmoud. In a statement, the militia said it is expanding and opening towards the eastern region, after a process of technical and military consultations with the People’s Armed Forces.
The militia’s statement continued, “This falls within the strategy of the Eastern Orta forces to protect the land and honor together with the security system in the country.”
The Eastern Orta is one of four militias that received military training in camps in Eritrea, raising fears of the entry of new armed parties into the bloody conflict with no solution in sight.
The militia has stationed its forces in Kassala province, near Al-Jazeera province in central Sudan, where the Rapid Aid Forces launched a bloody attack on a number of villages after besieging them, resulting in the deaths of at least 124 people.
The wave of violence on the island has led to the displacement of tens of thousands, with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) counting the displacement of more than 47,000 people to the states of Kassala and Gedaref.
Fighting began in Sudan in mid-April 2023 between the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti.”
The war has left tens of thousands dead, displaced more than 11 million people, including 3.1 million displaced outside the country, according to the International Organization for Migration, and caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history.
However, the war has not yet reached the eastern region of Sudan, which includes the states of the Red Sea, whose capital is Port Sudan, which has become a temporary capital, in addition to the states of Kassala and Gedaref.