RSF Retakes Key Darfur Base As Sudan Conflict Intensifies, Fueling Ethnic Tensions

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced on Sunday they had regained control of a critical logistical base in North Darfur, a day after losing it to rival forces aligned with Sudan’s army.

The RSF recaptured the al-Zurug base, a key supply hub for the paramilitary group, which had been seized by the Joint Forces and Sudanese army on Saturday. The base, near the borders with Chad and Libya, has played a pivotal role in RSF operations during the ongoing 20-month conflict.

In their statement, the RSF accused the Joint Forces of committing atrocities during the brief occupation, claiming civilians were killed, homes and public facilities burned, and essential infrastructure, including markets, wells, and schools, destroyed.

“The Joint Forces carried out ethnic cleansing against innocent civilians in al-Zurug, targeting women, children, and the elderly,” the RSF alleged.

The Joint Forces, primarily composed of Zaghawa tribe members, countered that the base had been used by the RSF to launch attacks on civilian areas, including al-Fashir, North Darfur’s capital and a major flashpoint in the conflict. They also reported destroying RSF vehicles, killing dozens of fighters, and seizing supplies during the initial takeover.

Tensions between the Arab tribes supporting the RSF and the Zaghawa-dominated Joint Forces risk further escalation, analysts warn, as the fighting deepens ethnic divides in the region.

The United Nations has documented the loss of at least 782 civilian lives in al-Fashir since April, citing the use of heavy artillery, suicide drones by the RSF, and airstrikes by the Sudanese army. Activists in al-Fashir reported that over 30 missiles targeted the city on Sunday, intensifying the ongoing violence.

Analysts suggest that gaining control of al-Fashir could strengthen the RSF’s ambitions to establish a rival government in Port Sudan, as they battle to dominate Darfur amid Sudan’s broader political and military crisis.