Somalia: Sudan Army Says It Repelled Major RSF Attack in West Darfur

What the report says

Sudanese army forces and allied armed groups repelled what West Darfur regional governor Minni Minnawi described as a major Rapid Support Forces (RSF) assault on Bir Sleiba, according to Shabelle Media Network via AllAfrica. Minnawi said the paramilitary group attacked with two military units, but government forces and their allies pushed the raid back. He did not give casualty figures or further detail on the scale of the fighting.

The report said the latest clash followed earlier fighting in July, after which Sudanese forces and allied movements announced they had retaken Bir Sleiba. The area sits north of Al Geneina, the West Darfur capital, and is strategically important because it controls routes leading into the city. That makes it a recurring focus in the wider struggle for territory in Darfur.

The article places the fighting within Sudan’s broader war between the army and the RSF, which began in April 2023. Darfur remains one of the conflict’s main battlegrounds, with violence repeatedly forcing people from their homes. The International Organization for Migration has separately reported new displacement in West Darfur, including thousands fleeing villages in Sirba district amid worsening security. More generally, the war has created one of the world’s largest displacement crises, underscoring why control of places like Bir Sleiba remains significant.