A new front has emerged in Sudan’s 17-month conflict, with the Sudanese army clashing with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in West Darfur, a region near Chad under RSF control.
On Monday, heavy fighting erupted in Kalbus. The Joint Force, aligned with the Sudanese army, claimed to have repelled an RSF attack, killing their commander and deputy.
Numerous RSF fighters were reported killed, and 14 vehicles damaged.
The Sudan Liberation Movement’s Minni Minawi lauded the Joint Forces for “teaching the RSF a lesson they won’t forget.”
The conflict is centered around Mount Awm, with both sides using heavy weaponry.
JEM reinforcements were reportedly deployed to Kalbus, with videos showing their arrival.
The RSF took control of West Darfur early in the war, and the army now seeks to reclaim it.
The RSF has been accused of ethnic cleansing against the Masalit people, leading to over 800,000 refugees fleeing into Chad.
The RSF has not yet commented on the clashes.