Darfur Joint Force says it retook key area from RSF

October 17, 2025 (EL FASHER) – An armed group allied with the Sudanese army said on Friday its forces had recaptured the Abu Gamra area in North Darfur state, days after it was seized by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Field sources within the Joint Force, a coalition of armed movements, told Sudan Tribune that its fighters retook the town, which is part of the Karnoi locality, on Friday.

The sources claimed to have seized military equipment and destroyed combat vehicles belonging to the RSF during the operation.

The governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minawi, who leads one of the groups in the Joint Force, said the RSF had made a “grave mistake” by storming Abu Gamra, an area he stated had no army or Joint Force presence.

“The RSF looted property, terrorized civilians in Abu Gamra, and displaced them, in a crime added to their bloody record,” Minnawi wrote on his Facebook account.

He added, “The people of Abu Gamra rose up today in defence of their land and proved that Darfur will not be defeated.”