Sudan’s RSF takes control of strategic border zone

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced on Wednesday that they have seized a strategic “triangle” zone on the Sudanese borders with Egypt and Libya. This move follows the withdrawal of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which said the pullback was part of a “defensive arrangement to repel aggression.”

SAF officials further accused eastern Libyan leader Khalifa Haftar’s forces of participating in a cross-border attack alongside the RSF, the first direct allegation of Libyan military involvement in Sudan’s conflict. Haftar’s forces have denied the accusations.

The Al Jazeera, meanwhile, reports that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the United Arab Emirates of supporting Haftar and the RSF, calling the operation a “dangerous escalation” and violation of international law — allegations Abu Dhabi denies.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in civil war between the SAF, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The conflict has resulted in over 24,000 reported fatalities and more than 13 million displaced people, including 4 million refugees.

According to the Associated Press (AP), the capture of this zone is the first major territorial shift involving a foreign proxy, raising alarms about broader regional implications, including threats to cross-border security and refugee movements. Egypt, allied with the SAF, now faces heightened security concerns as Sudan’s civil war edges closer to its frontier.