Minawi urges residents of Sudan, Chad border to defend land against RSF

December 23, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – The leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement, Minni Arko Minawi, on Tuesday called on residents of North Darfur border areas adjacent to Chad to hold onto and defend their lands, warning against abandoning them to “invaders.”

The call from Minawi, who is governor of the Darfur region, comes after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) mobilized fighters to attack the localities of Tine, Ambara and Karnoi via three axes, according to military sources.

Military sources told Sudan Tribune that a large RSF convoy moved from West Darfur and stationed itself near the areas of Jargira and Wadi Seira on the border between North and West Darfur.

The sources said the RSF mobilized other forces in Kutum and Mellit, stationed in the town of Abdel Shakour in Kutum locality, with intentions to launch attacks on areas inhabited by the Zaghawa ethnic group.

In an address to the people of North Darfur in the local language, Minawi said: “This is the moment of the land, the moment of dignity and self-defence. Whoever stands today on the soil of Darfur stands on a history written with patience, tears and steadfastness.”

“Do not let your land be looted, your memory erased, or your homes handed over to invaders. Hold together like mountains and be one rank; strength is in unity, and victory is born from unbreakable will,” he added.

The RSF has begun to push into small villages on the outskirts of Abu Gamra, which is under the control of the Joint Force, while the areas of Karnoi and Tine are witnessing displacement toward Chad.

The army and its allies are present in Tine, Karnoi, Ambara and Abu Gamra, while the RSF controls the rest of the Darfur region, except for the Jebel Marra areas under the control of the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Nur.