RSF, Joint Force clash in North Darfur, both sides claim victory

October 1, 2024 (MALHA) – The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said on Tuesday they had destroyed a large convoy of armed movements in North Darfur, inflicting heavy casualties. A commander in the joint force opposing the RSF denied this, saying they had routed the RSF and forced them to flee.

The clash near Malha is the latest in a series of battles for control of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, which has been under RSF siege since April. The Joint Force, comprising the army allied groups, has mobilised fighters in the region, some from as far afield as Libya, to break the siege.

The RSF said in a statement that its forces had “crushed a mobile force consisting of hundreds of combat vehicles” belonging to the armed movements, killing over 450 fighters and capturing over 137 vehicles.

However, a commander in the Joint Force dismissed this claim. He told Sudan Tribune that they had “inflicted an unprecedented defeat on the RSF”, destroying dozens of vehicles and capturing “tens of soldiers”.

He said the RSF had been forced to retreat towards Mellit and that the Joint Force convoy was continuing towards El Fasher.

The fighting in North Darfur is part of a broader conflict that erupted in Sudan in May between the RSF and the army. The RSF has already seized control of four of Darfur’s five states.