Leaders of the Joint Force of Armed Struggle Movements yesterday tried to downplay the impact of the withdrawal of one of their constituent armed groups, the Sudan Liberation Movement-Transitional Council (SLM-TC).
In a statement, the military coalition reasserted its intention to secure the North Darfur capital, al-Fasher, despite losing the support of SLM-TC. Positions that had been secured by the SLM-TC troops will be reinforced, the joint command said.
The statement said little about the reasons for SLM-TC’s withdrawal, except to say that it was due to internal problems in SLM-TC.
Earlier, the SLM-TC military spokesman Ahmed Jeddo had blamed the Joint Force command for failing to secure the return of vehicles taken by a group of deserters, and for other “administrative reasons and internal issues” within the Joint Force.
The Joint Force consists of former Darfur rebels who signed a peace deal with the government in 2020. By the time a new civil war broke out in April 2023, they had not yet integrated their troops into the army. Since then, they have mostly remained on the sidelines of the fighting, not supporting either the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) or the Sudan Armed Forces.
In November last year, however, following the fall of army garrisons in other state capitals, they declared El Fasher to be a red line, warning the RSF not to attack. Since then, occasional clashes have occurred in the city but the RSF have not launched any major attack against the army, which has its 6th Infantry Division in the city.
Statement from the Joint Force of Armed Struggle Movements
Inspection of outposts and defensive lines and sending reinforcements
Members of the Command and Control Board of the Joint Force led by Lt Gen Juma Hagar, Lt Gen Tijani al-Dhaheeb, and Lt Gen Aboud Adam Khater, accompanied by a number of officers and leaders, visited the joint force deployment locations and all bases and defense lines, including market protection centers, headquarters of nongovernmental organizations, missions, institutions, and neighborhood outposts.
The visit came with the purpose of observing in the field military positions of the forces at various locations and to ensure the readiness of the forces after the withdrawal of the elements of the [SLM] Transitional Council due to problems within their organization.
During the visit, the command and control were reassured about the conditions of its forces and immediately sent estimated military reinforcements in anticipation and preparation for any eventualities.
Lieutenant General Juma Hagar also reassured the citizens of the state about the rumors and misleading media about the withdrawal of the Joint Force. Hagar renewed the Joint Force’s commitment to its responsibility towards protection and insurance and informed them of the arrangements being made regarding the activation of [deployment in] all sectors instead of three areas.