SLM faction joins Sudanese army against RSF in Darfur
July 31, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – Mustafa Tambour, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-Tambour), announced on Monday the movement’s active involvement in the conflict alongside the Sudanese army against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Darfur.
Tambour told the Sudan Tribune that during the recent battles in Zalingei, the capital of Central Darfur State, his forces had inflicted casualties on the paramilitary forces.
He stated, “68 members of the Rapid Support Forces were killed or wounded.”
Since the conflict erupted between the army and the RSF in mid-April, the SLM-Tambour has pledged its support to the armed forces in their efforts against the RSF. This stance sets the movement apart from other groups in Darfur, some of which have signed peace agreements, while others remain neutral.
On July 17, the RSF assassinated one of Mustafa Tambour’s brothers on the Nyala-Zalingi road due to his involvement with the army against him.
During the battles in Zalingei that have intensified since the beginning of July, Tambour’s group inflicted heavy casualties on the RSF, with 68 members killed or wounded during the pasttwo days.
“Our forces participated with the army in the battles during the past two days in Zalingei, which led to the killing of 27, the wounding of 41, and the capture of 14 members of the Rapid Support militia,” he said.
He further added that fierce confrontations took place at Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq School in the Hasahsa neighbourhood, a base used by the militia to threaten citizens, resulting in significant losses and the destruction of seven four-wheel-drive vehicles.
He said that the RSF fled after a major defeat, and he further emphasized, “Our forces are still aligned with the army.”
“Our forces will not withdraw until the end of this brutal rebellion that wanted to hijack the state had it not been for the vigilance of our national army,” he asserted.
It’s worth noting that the SLM-Tambour joined the Juba Peace Agreement with the Sudanese government, signed in Juba on March 25, 2021. The movement split from the Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Abdel Wahid Nur (SLM-AW), in 2018.
Contrary to the SLM Tambour’s involvement in the conflict, the Darfur armed groups signatories to the peace agreement have declared their neutrality and refused to take sides in the ongoing war. Instead, they have established a joint force responsible for ensuring security in Darfur, protecting commercial convoys between the five states of Darfur, and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need.
Meanwhile, the SLM-AW, a non-signatory group whose fighters control some areas in the state, remains neutral in the current conflict between the government forces and the RSF, which recently gained control of parts of Zalingei, the capital of Central Darfur state.
(ST)