Sudan’s RSF says it seized key northern area near Libyan border

June 16, 2025 (DONGOLA) – Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said on Monday they had captured a strategic oasis in the Northern State near the borders with Libya and Egypt, a move that could help the paramilitary group consolidate its supply lines.

The RSF has been fighting the Sudanese army for control of the country in a war that has lasted over two years.

An RSF advisor, Mohamed Mukhtar, told Sudan Tribune that his forces had taken control of “Karb al-Toum,” an oasis near the Jebel Arkenu mountain range. The capture follows the RSF’s stated seizure of the strategic “Triangle” area on Saturday, a junction point between Sudan, Libya and Egypt.

A spokesperson for the army-aligned joint force, deployed in the area, could not be reached for comment. Sudan Tribune could not independently verify the battlefield claims.

The advance comes two weeks after RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, known as Hemetti, said in a video on June 2 that his forces were moving into the Northern State. He warned civilians to stay in their homes.

In the recording, Daglo said the RSF had intelligence on Sudanese Islamists he described as “ISIS militants” in the area, calling them a “legitimate target.” He said the operation would not harm civilians.

Analysts say the RSF is trying to secure a supply route from Libya to reinforce its operations in the Kordofan and Darfur regions, where it has been seeking to cement its control.

The development coincides with an intensified RSF offensive on El Fasher, the army’s last stronghold in the Darfur region. Sources on the ground described an RSF attack on the city on Sunday as the most violent yet, part of an effort to tighten its siege.