The Joint Force of Armed Struggle Movements (JSAMF), a coalition of former Darfuri rebel groups allied with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), launched an assault on the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) Al-Zurug military base in North Darfur on Saturday. The attack, characterized as a diversionary operation, coincides with an intensifying RSF campaign to capture the state capital, El Fasher.
The operation began with a coordinated advance from the northeast of the city, penetrating Al-Zurug, a desert base pivotal for RSF operations in the restive region. Video footages verified by Sudan War Monitor show members of the Joint Force showcasing captured military equipment seized during the attack.
The assault on Al-Zurug was not likely intended to establish permanent control of the base but rather to stretch RSF resources and disrupt their relentless offensives targeting El Fasher. The paramilitary group has launched nearly 160 attacks this year on the besieged 6th Infantry Division in El Fasher, the headquarters of the Darfur regional governor, Minni Minnawi, who is also the political leader of the JSAMF.
However, fighting has subsided in the last few days, coinciding with the JSAMF operations in rural North Darfur. (Similarly, fighting in El Fasher subsided in October after the Joint Force launched attacks elsewhere in North Darfur, drawing RSF fighters away from the main theater of battle).
In addition to relieving pressure on El Fasher, the offensive strikes at a town that is politically and symbolically important for the RSF, which played a role in the development of the town from the ground up. The Rizeigat Arab chief of the area, Juma Dagalo, is the uncle of the RSF commander-in-chief, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The father of the RSF commander-in-chief, Hamdan Dagalo Musa, also reportedly lives in the area and appeared in a video circulating online, in which he vowed resistance, declaring, “[This] is our land and that of our children. We will not accept [to be displaced]. We can die, but we cannot flee.”
Klaas van Dijken, a Dutch journalist who visited Zurug in 2020, described it as a “victor’s city,” which was “built on the spoils of a brutal war that once tore at the conscience of the world.” At the time, Darfur was enjoying a brief, restive peace, as a result of the RSF’s military dominance over the Darfur rebels, as well as political changes in Khartoum stemming from the popular uprising of 2019.
Van Dijken added, “The RSF wants to show off a future city as evidence of the peace it has brought to this contested land. To the vanquished–scattered in their millions across desperate refugee camps within and beyond Sudan’s borders—Zurrug is an insult being built on stolen land.”
Now, war again ravages the land, and this time the same Darfur rebels—the old foes of the RSF—have arrived in the “victor’s city” to tear it down.
The timing of the attack underscores its significance, coming amid discussions of an RSF-backed civilian government to rival the military junta in Port Sudan. The fall of El Fasher would solidify RSF’s control in Darfur and pave the way for the establishment of a parallel administration.
In a joint statement, the JSAMF and SAF claimed victory, announcing the seizure of military assets and the “liberation” of Al-Zurug and the broader Wadi Hawar region.
“Your valiant forces, composed of the Sudanese Armed Forces, armed struggle movements, and mobilized Popular Resistance, have achieved a significant strategic victory by fully liberating the Wadi Hawar area, culminating in the liberation of the Al Zurug military base and its military airbase. The strongholds of the Rapid Support militia and their regional and international mercenaries have been demolished, and these strategic areas have been completely cleansed of their presence. The heroic operations began on the morning of December 21, 2024, with the liberation of the Bir Margi base, including its military airport, followed by the capture of the Bir Shalla, Donkey Majoor, Bir Jibril, and Donki Wakhaim bases, leading to the final victory at the major Al-Zurug military base,” the statement read.
They reported the destruction of over 122 military vehicles, the capture of significant quantities of weaponry, and the deaths or injuries of at least 700 RSF fighters.
“The remnants of the militia fled southward, leaving behind at least 700 casualties among the RSF mercenaries, including dead and injured, while a significant number were captured. Additionally, more than 122 military vehicles were destroyed, and a large number of intact and diverse military equipment and vehicles were seized. Five military bases, including two military airports, have been brought under control. The assessment and inventory of the remaining strategic gains, including bases and airports, are currently underway,” they added.
The SAF, which maintains a limited military presence in rural North Darfur outside the state capital, El Fasher, strongly echoed the claims of success. In a statement, the SAF hailed the operation as a significant strategic victory, asserting that it dealt a major blow to the operational strength of the paramilitary group.
“The Sudanese Armed Forces and the Joint Force, through three axes, successfully seized and cleared the Al-Zurq Military Base belonging to the terrorist Rapid Support Militia (Janjaweed). Military equipment and dozens of military vehicles, including some armored ones, were captured. The liberated areas include Bir Marqi (a military base), Bir Shala, Bir Jibril, Donki Majur, Haim, and the Al- Zurug Military Base (the main camp). Our forces, supported by the air force, launched attacks on some gatherings southeast of the city, destroying nine combat vehicles and inflicting significant casualties,” reads the SAF statement.
However, the RSF countered this narrative, claiming to have regained control of Al-Zurug by early Sunday. In a statement, the paramilitary group accused JSAMF and SAF forces of committing atrocities during their brief occupation, including destruction of civilian infrastructure and targeting of unarmed civilians.
“At the break of dawn today, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) delivered a pivotal blow to oppression and tyranny by liberating the area of Zurq in North Darfur State, decisively expelling mercenary movements, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and their allied militias linked to the terrorist Islamic Movement. The courage, discipline, and unshakable resolve of our soldiers have once again prevailed, compelling the SAF and its extremist brethren to abandon the battlefield in disgrace. The RSF reaffirms its unwavering commitment to hunting down these perpetrators of violence and injustice wherever they may attempt to seek refuge. In their retreat, the mercenary movements revealed their vile nature by engaging in barbaric acts of ethnic cleansing against unarmed civilians in Zurq. Their crimes included the deliberate and ruthless killing of women, children, and the elderly. These monstrous forces burned water wells, markets, healthcare centers, schools, civilian homes, and both public and private facilities in a campaign of systematic destruction aimed at erasing livelihoods and sowing despair. These atrocities are not just acts of barbarism. They are flagrant violations of international law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. The deliberate targeting of defenseless civilians and destruction of non-military infrastructure expose the desperation, defeat, and moral bankruptcy of the mercenary movements and their allies within the SAF and the terrorist Islamic Movement. Their strategic incompetence and cowardice on the battlefield are matched only by the cruelty of their crimes,” the RSF said in their statement.
The attack on Al-Zurug follows months of escalating violence in North and West Darfur. The RSF has already seized four of state capitals in the Darfur region, intensifying fears of their consolidation of power. Reports of a proposed RSF-backed civilian administration have fueled speculation about the group’s political ambitions, though it repeatedly has said it was not fighting for power.
The Sudanese army now are largely contained just to one city in Darfur, El Fasher, while the RSF control the other major cities, many other towns, and vast rural areas.
However, the RSF do not fully control all of Darfur. Joint Force troops and allied Zaghawa ethnic militias are active in parts of North Darfur, supported by cross-desert logistics from SAF-controlled Northern State. JEM and the Sudanese Alliance threaten the RSF along the Chadian border in West Darfur. Some Arab militias, such as those of Musa Hilal, are hostile to the RSF or non-committed. And the neutral SLM faction of Abdel Wahid al-Nur controls the mountainous parts of central Darfur.
Videos
In a video capturing the burning of Al-Zurug market, an unidentified JSAMF combatant is heard saying: “This [punishment] is less than what you deserve. You have killed women, you have burned villages, but by God, you will see [retribution].”
In a video recorded at a seized RSF fuel and ammunition depot geolocated to this location: 15° 8'28.06"N 24°49'19.57"E, operations commanders Generals Munir Hamid (left) and Yaqoub Al-Sadiq (right) are seen conversing as combatants film the scene.
In this video, a combatant of the Joint Force is heard talking in the background assessing ammunition depot.
In this video captured to the northwest of the same fuel and ammunition depot here: 15° 8'38.37"N 24°49'11.38"E, RSF fighters could be seen saying “This is the fuel station and we say to Minnawi, don’t attack women, be a man and come to us [in El Fasher].”
In this video, the father of Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the RSF leader, Hamdan Daglo Musa, is seen around this location: 15° 4'41.40"N 24°48'4.68"E, declaring, “[This] is our land and that of our children. We will not accept [to be displaced]. We can die, but we cannot flee.”