Joint Forces say they repelled RSF attack on Al-Maliha, North Darfur
March 20, 2025 (AL-MALIHA) – Sudanese Joint Forces said on Thursday they had repulsed an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the town of Al-Maliha in North Darfur, near the Libyan border.
The RSF had earlier claimed to have captured the town, but the Joint Forces disputed this, saying they inflicted heavy casualties and forced an RSF retreat.
Al-Maliha, about 210 km (130 miles) north of El Fasher, is strategically important due to its proximity to Libya and a supply route to northern and eastern Sudan. It had been under the control of the Sudanese army and allied armed groups.
The army deployed significant reinforcements to Al-Maliha in February and March, aiming to advance on El Fasher to break an RSF siege.
The RSF said in a statement earlier on Thursday that its fighters had achieved a “great victory” by “liberating” Al-Maliha, claiming they had seized the main camp of the armed groups and captured vehicles, weapons, and ammunition. They accused the armed groups of using the area to destabilize security.
However, a military statement from the Joint Forces’ spokesman on the Sahara axis directly contradicted the RSF’s claims. The statement, titled “Al-Maliha: Weaving Spiderwebs,” described a successful defence against a three-pronged RSF attack.
The Joint Forces said they inflicted “heavy losses” on the RSF on two fronts, “completely crushing them” and forcing a retreat, leaving behind casualties and captured equipment. On the third front, the Joint Forces said they used a tactic they called “weaving spiderwebs” – essentially a trap – allowing the RSF to advance before counterattacking.
The Joint Forces spokesman said, “The Joint Forces in the Sahara axis confirm the Joint Forces have successfully repulsed the RSF attack. The Joint Forces lured in the RSF using a trap referred to as, ‘weaving spiderwebs.'”
The Joint Forces statement, which was released late on Wednesday, named eight high-ranking RSF officers, including Colonel Ayoub Ahimer, the commander of the attack, it said were killed in the fighting.
The statement concluded by reassuring the Sudanese people of the Joint Forces’ “victory” on March 20, 2025.
Sudan Tribune could not independently verify the claims from either side.
The tri-border area between Sudan, Libya, and Chad has seen fierce clashes for months between the army, its allied armed groups, and the RSF, as they compete for control of supply routes in the Sahara. The fighting is an extension of battles in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, that began last May.