Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has claimed it seized control of the town of al-Tina in North Darfur, intensifying its nearly three-year war with the national army.
In a post on social media, the RSF shared video footage of armed fighters celebrating beneath a banner reading “District of al-Tina,” asserting that it had taken the strategic town near the border with Chad.
However, multiple media outlets reported that the Sudanese Armed Forces and allied Joint Forces said they had repelled the assault on Saturday, denying that the town had fallen.
The pro-army governor of Darfur, Minni Arko Minawi, condemned the attack, describing it as “repeated criminal behaviour embodying the worst offences against the innocent.”
The conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese army erupted in April 2023 and has since evolved into one of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises. The United Nations estimates that tens of thousands of people have been killed, while about 11 million have been displaced from their homes.
Since capturing North Darfur’s capital, al-Fasher, in October, the RSF has intensified operations in areas close to the Chadian border.
On Thursday, a United Nations independent fact-finding mission said the RSF’s takeover of al-Fasher bore “the hallmarks of genocide,” further heightening international concern.
Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls most of the five Darfur states in the west, except for parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. The military retains control over most other regions, including the capital, Khartoum.
The latest battlefield claims came as RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo held talks in Entebbe with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, where discussions focused on efforts to end the conflict and restore stability in Sudan.
