Conflicting claims of victory emerge  after clashes in North Darfur

January 18, 2026 (EL FASHER) – Darfur Governor Minni Minawi said on Saturday that Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters led by Abdel Rahim Daglo had suffered heavy losses in the Malha desert in North Darfur.

The RSF released a video and photo purportedly of Daglo, the deputy commander of the paramilitary force, but did not issue a statement regarding the fighting.

In a statement posted on social media, Minawi said the RSF second commander was present at the fighting in the desert region on Saturday, confirming the force’s attempts to gain control of areas of North Darfur and open a route to Libya.

“But thank God, your armed and joint forces and the popular resistance were able to break the back of the force, which comprises more than 546 vehicles loaded with military equipment, led by the brother of the criminal Hemetti himself,” Minawi said.

Hemetti is the nickname of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

On Thursday, Minawi said foreign support for the RSF was continuing and that he had observed a convoy of around 400 military vehicles entering from Libya en route to Darfur. This coincided with unconfirmed reports of RSF fighters receiving training in southern Libya.

An RSF spokesman, posting on Telegram, said on Saturday that its forces, in an operation it called “the flood”, had destroyed what it called “mercenaries of the movements” in the areas of Al-Hallaf, Drishaqi, and Mao in North Darfur state.

The spokesman said the RSF had taken full control of those areas, inflicting heavy losses of personnel and equipment on the armed groups and seizing dozens of combat vehicles.