RSF captures strategic desert city in North Darfur

Fall of Al-Maliha slows Sudanese army efforts to reinforce El Fasher

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Thursday morning captured the strategic desert city of Al-Maliha in North Darfur from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and their allies from former Darfur rebel groups, who have aligned with the military since the onset of the civil war in 2023.

This move, for now, slows down SAF efforts to reinforce their besieged forces in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and risks reigniting relentless RSF attempts to take the only army division in Darfur, which had subsided in the last few weeks.

Al-Maliha had remained under the control of SAF and its allies despite the RSF’s rapid early expansion across Darfur, where the paramilitary group now controls four of the region’s five states. The exception remains the state capital of North Darfur, where the military still maintains control over its 6^th Infantry Division headquarters.

Video footage filmed by RSF fighters and shared by their supporters showed captured combat vehicles at the army and Central Reserve Police bases in Al-Maliha, held by the SAF and its allies until this morning, with celebratory gunfire heard in the background. Some of the footage was geolocated to the Al-Maliha customs office south of the city.

Al-Maliha sits along the road to Northern State, an area long targeted by the RSF with drones, alongside El Melit locality and El Fasher. With the capture of the city, the RSF is in a stronger position to shift their focus to El Fasher and potentially prepare for an eventual push into the Northern states.

However, the RSF's push toward northern regions of Sudan may not be feasible in the short term, given the rapid loss of control in other parts of the country, such as Khartoum, and its tactical efforts to capture the entire Darfur region, which is critical to the formation of the parallel government it plans to establish.

In a statement following the fighting, the RSF described their success as a “new history of heroism and sacrifice,” highlighting the defeat of “mercenary forces,” the destruction of “a main mercenary camp,” and the seizure of large quantities of weapons, combat vehicles, and ammunition.

The RSF also claimed that fierce clashes had resulted in more than 380 enemy combatants being killed and argued that their victory had disrupted an alleged plan by the Islamic Movement's intelligence to expand the war and carry out sabotage operations in the region.

“The brave Rapid Support Forces wrote a new history of heroism and sacrifice this Thursday, achieving a great victory over the mercenaries of the armed movements and liberating the Malha area in North Darfur, including the main mercenary camp in the region. They also seized large quantities of combat vehicles, weapons, and ammunition, which had been used to destabilize the security of innocent civilians.

“This great victory came after fierce clashes, in which the brave heroes of our forces demonstrated the highest levels of competence and courage, enabling them to free the area from the grip of the mercenaries who had been using it as a base to destabilize security and stability. The brave forces managed to encircle the enemy and deliver painful strikes that led to its collapse and retreat from the battlefield, leaving more than 380 dead.

“The liberation of the Malha area and the destruction of the mercenary movements puts an end to the mercenaries' attempts to execute the plan of the Islamic Movement's intelligence, which aimed to expand the war and carry out sabotage operations in the region.

“The brave Rapid Support Forces are determined to end this war for the benefit of the Sudanese people, achieve their aspirations for freedom and justice, and build Sudan on a new, just foundation. We assure our people in North Darfur that our forces will remain on high alert to secure the region and provide protection for civilians and will not allow any party to threaten peace and security,” the RSF statement reads.

The timing of this victory coincides with military advances in Khartoum, where overnight clashes erupted as the SAF made attempts to enter the presidential palace. RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo had earlier vowed to defend the area, located in downtown Khartoum, at all costs.

The RSF’s control of Al-Maliha carries strategic implications for both the ongoing conflict in Darfur and the broader military situation. Its proximity to El Fasher, the last major stronghold of the army in Darfur, increases the pressure on the SAF, which has already been stretched thin by its efforts to regain control of Khartoum from the RSF.

Videos

• In the video below, RSF soldiers stand in front of the Central Reserve Police base in Al Maliha.

• In the video below, RSF fighters are seen with captured military vehicle inside the Central Reserve Police base in Al-Maliha.

• In the video, RSF combatants could be seen talking and driving pass a burning vehicle, one that potentially belongs to the SAF or the Joint Force.

• In the Video below, RSF fighters films in front of the customs office in Al Maliha.

• In the video below, RSF fighters drives through Al Maliha saying “[We are] inside Al Maliha.”

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