Sudan's Rapid Support Forces Claim Control Over Strategic Border Zone
Paramilitary group asserts dominance amid allegations of cross-border aggression involving Libyan forces.
KHARTOUM: Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced on Wednesday that its fighters have seized control of a strategic zone located at the border with Egypt and Libya, following a declaration of withdrawal by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) from the area.
This development marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which has been raging since April 2023 and involves a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and his former ally Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who leads the RSF.
The SAF's spokesperson, Nabil Abdallah, indicated that the withdrawal was part of a defensive strategy to respond to what he termed 'aggression.' He stated that the army had evacuated the so-called 'triangle area' that borders Sudan, Egypt, and Libya.
This announcement followed accusations from the SAF alleging that forces loyal to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar conducted a cross-border attack in coordination with the RSF, constituting the first instance of reported Libyan involvement in the conflict.
In their statement, the RSF proclaimed that their forces had 'liberated the strategic triangle area,' asserting that the SAF retreated southward due to heavy losses sustained during the fighting.
The confrontation has been part of a larger civil war that has significantly divided Sudan geographically and militarily, with the SAF controlling the central and eastern regions, while the RSF and their allies have dominated nearly all of Darfur and portions of southern Sudan.
The ongoing conflict has resulted in substantial humanitarian consequences, with reports estimating the death toll in the tens of thousands and the displacement of 13 million individuals.
Among these, approximately four million people have fled to neighboring countries.
The United Nations has classified the situation in Sudan as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
International efforts aimed at mediating a ceasefire have so far been unsuccessful, and violence continues to escalate, particularly in the western Darfur region and the southern Kordofan region, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian conditions faced by the civilian population.
This development marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which has been raging since April 2023 and involves a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and his former ally Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who leads the RSF.
The SAF's spokesperson, Nabil Abdallah, indicated that the withdrawal was part of a defensive strategy to respond to what he termed 'aggression.' He stated that the army had evacuated the so-called 'triangle area' that borders Sudan, Egypt, and Libya.
This announcement followed accusations from the SAF alleging that forces loyal to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar conducted a cross-border attack in coordination with the RSF, constituting the first instance of reported Libyan involvement in the conflict.
In their statement, the RSF proclaimed that their forces had 'liberated the strategic triangle area,' asserting that the SAF retreated southward due to heavy losses sustained during the fighting.
The confrontation has been part of a larger civil war that has significantly divided Sudan geographically and militarily, with the SAF controlling the central and eastern regions, while the RSF and their allies have dominated nearly all of Darfur and portions of southern Sudan.
The ongoing conflict has resulted in substantial humanitarian consequences, with reports estimating the death toll in the tens of thousands and the displacement of 13 million individuals.
Among these, approximately four million people have fled to neighboring countries.
The United Nations has classified the situation in Sudan as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
International efforts aimed at mediating a ceasefire have so far been unsuccessful, and violence continues to escalate, particularly in the western Darfur region and the southern Kordofan region, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian conditions faced by the civilian population.
