Sudanese rival factions clash in Libya
22 June 2024 (EL FASHER) – Military sources revealed on Saturday that violent clashes occurred between the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army led by Minni Minawi (SLM/A-MM) and defectors from the Revolutionary Awakening Council loyal to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) inside Libyan territory, resulting in deaths and injuries on both sides.
UN reports indicate that thousands of Sudanese fighters are present in various Libyan cities, operating within the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Haftar. However, after the outbreak of war in Sudan in mid-April 2023, some military groups began withdrawing into Sudanese territory to support the warring parties.
Sources informed Sudan Tribune that forces loyal to General Mohamed Bakhit Ajab Al-Dor, a defector from the Revolutionary Awakening Council, repelled an attack by SLM/A-MM elements while attempting to enter Sudanese territory. The attack occurred in the Balanja area inside Libya, inflicting heavy losses on the SLM/A-MM.
The RSF-aligned Revolutionary Awakening faction reportedly seized 15 military vehicles, four supply trucks, and ammunition, and captured several soldiers.
General Mohamed Bakhit Ajab Al-Dor, the commander of the splinter group, supports the RSF, while the Revolutionary Awakening Council’s chairman, Musa Hilal, has aligned with the Sudanese army.
Al-Dor forces began withdrawing from Libya last week, heading to Sudan to support the RSF, which is engaged in bloody confrontations in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.
Musa Hilal dismissed Ajab Al-Dor, accusing him of embezzlement and causing divisions within the organization.
Meanwhile, RSF field commander Ali Rizq Allah, known as “Al-Savanna,” claimed that their forces control the tri-border area linking Sudan, Libya, and Chad.
Al-Savanna stated that the RSF destroyed mobile units belonging to Darfur armed movements attempting to attack their positions in the Great Desert.
He also reported defeating armed movements’ units in the towns of “Um Baar” and “Arori,” killing their commander, Brigadier General Musa Kom Gurob.
Sudan Tribune could not independently confirm these statements and has not yet received a response from the joint force of armed movements in Darfur.
In the past week, fierce battles occurred between armed movements loyal to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF near “Al-Zurq,” an RSF base in the tri-border area.
The RSF claimed to have thwarted plans by the armed movements to break the siege of El Fasher, destroying numerous mobile units and seizing over 100 military vehicles.