Rebels seize key border zone

SUDAN'S paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said on Wednesday that its fighters seized a strategic zone on the border with Egypt and Libya, as the regular army announced its withdrawal from the region.

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The announcements came a day after the army accused forces loyal to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar of launching a cross-border attack alongside the RSF, the first allegation of direct Libyan involvement in the Sudanese war.

“As part of its defensive arrangements to repel aggression, our forces today evacuated the triangle area overlooking the borders between Sudan, Egypt and Libya,” army spokesperson Nabil Abdallah said in a statement.

Since April 2023, the war in Sudan has pitted army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against his erstwhile ally, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who leads the RSF. The RSF said its fighters “liberated the strategic triangle area”, adding that army forces had retreated southward “after suffering heavy losses”.

It also said the operation would have broad implications “across several combat fronts, especially in the northern desert”.

A military source said on condition of anonymity that clashes in the border triangle “started three days ago” when the RSF and Libyan forces loyal to Haftar attacked the army-aligned Joint Forces.

The triangle area, a mountain range spanning about 1500 square kilometres, has long been known for mining activity and cross-border trade.