Sudan Nashra: War spills into Sudan-Egypt-Libya border triangle RSF shells Obeid following threats Surge in Cholera, mass graves in Khartoum

Mada

3 days ago

Since Wednesday, Sudan's war has extended into the far northwest, spilling into the border triangle between Sudan, Egypt and Libya as the Rapid Support Forces seized the area following the Sudanese military's withdrawal. The Sudanese Armed Forces accused fighters aligned with Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) of participating in the offensive under a broader conspiracy 'supported by the United Arab Emirates and its militias in the region.'
Haftar's forces denied the allegations.
In North Kordofan, RSF artillery continued to target civilian areas. On Friday, at least five people were killed in an attack that followed several rounds of strikes throughout the week.
In Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, a relentless campaign of bombardment has compounded an already dire humanitarian crisis, leaving civilians facing both shellfire and hunger.
In Khartoum, two years into the war, old cemeteries have expanded into surrounding areas amid a wave of mass burials driven by the ongoing cholera outbreak and the near-total collapse of the healthcare system.
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RSF seize border triangle between Sudan, Egypt, Libya; military accuses LNA-aligned forces of interference
The Rapid Support Forces announced Wednesday morning that they seized control of the strategic border triangle between Egypt, Sudan and Libya, just hours after the military said it had vacated the area.
In its statement, the RSF said it inflicted heavy losses on the military and hailed the operation as a strategic step toward securing Sudan's northern borders, further stating that controlling the area would help curb irregular migration and human trafficking.
The military described its retreat as part of 'defensive arrangements to repel aggression,' and accused forces loyal to Libyan National Army commander General Khalifa Haftar of assisting the RSF's advance.
A day earlier, the military and foreign ministry had released statements accusing 'Haftar's Salafist Brigade' of aiding the RSF in attacks on border posts in the triangle area. The military denounced the move as a blatant violation of Sudanese sovereignty, framing it as part of a broader conspiracy 'supported by the United Arab Emirates and its militias in the region.'
'The Sudan-Libyan borders have long been a major entry point for weapons and mercenaries to the RSF terrorist militia, funded by the UAE and coordinated by Haftar's forces and affiliated terrorist groups,' a Sudanese Foreign Ministry statement said.
The LNA denied the accusations.
On June 6, the first day of Eid al-Adha, the border triangle saw clashes between the joint force and the Haftar-aligned Subul al-Salam battalion. The fighting resulted in casualties and prisoners on both sides, according to a Sudanese military source.
Social media accounts affiliated with the Libyan battalion quoted its commander, Abdel Rahman Hashem, as saying that the clashes erupted due to a misunderstanding with the joint force on the Sudanese side, which believed the battalion had crossed into Sudanese territory.
Hashem said the clashes resulted in the deaths of two members of the Sudanese armed movements' joint force patrol, the capture of one of their soldiers, and the capture of three Subul al-Salam Battalion members. Both sides had begun negotiating for a prisoner exchange, he added.
But a Sudanese military source told Mada Masr the border tensions stemmed from the RSF's attempts to establish alternative logistics routes via Libya after Chadian generals pressured President Mahamat Déby to halt the use of the Um Jaras base, which has served as a major RSF supply hub over the past year.
The military source added that several cargo planes were spotted landing in Libyan territory near Sudan's border over the past week, and that the forces behind the assault had been gathering in the Libyan city of Kufra, advancing with support from pro-Haftar units.
Publicly available flight tracking data showed three IL-76TD cargo aircraft at the Kufra airport on both May 21 and 31.
A source from the armed movements told Mada Masr at the time that Libyan forces had crossed into Sudanese territory, while the Libyan side, the source said, claimed the joint force units attacked one of its patrols in Libya.
In response to the military's accusations, the LNA said the claim is 'a recycled narrative with no grounding in reality.' It accused Sudanese troops of repeatedly attacking its patrols while they were securing Libya's borders, adding that it was working to resolve the situation calmly.
Meanwhile, Libya's Foreign Ministry — under the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) led by Abdel Hamid Dbeibeh — said it had taken note of the Sudanese military spokesperson's claims and stressed that the group accused of interference does not operate under the Defense Ministry.
The ministry condemned the use of Libyan nationals in actions that threaten the security of neighboring states, reaffirming the GNU's commitment to Sudan's security, stability and territorial integrity.
The seized border triangle holds significant geographic and strategic value. Located at the far northwest tip of Sudan, it serves as a vital trade corridor with Libya and Egypt and is known for community-based gold mining — resources that could finance whoever controls the area.
It is also a key corridor for irregular migration. In 2018, Sudan, Libya, Chad and Niger signed a quadripartite agreement to establish a joint border force aimed at curbing human trafficking and the movement of foreign fighters. However, instability in Libya has stalled its implementation.
The Subul al-Salam Battalion has controlled the border triangle between Libya, Egypt, and Sudan since 2011. It has been able to maintain control of the area thanks to its alliance with Haftar, who integrated the armed group into the ground forces commanded by his son, Saddam.
This armed group, led by Abdulrahman Hashem al-Zawi, is one of the most prominent Salafi-Madkhali militias integrated into the ground forces commanded by Saddam Haftar. It also serves as the military arm of the Zuwayya tribe, which is spread throughout the oil crescent regions of northern Libya and the oases in the country's southeast.
Previous reports from the UN sanctions committees on Libya and Sudan have accused the Subul al-Salam Battalion of involvement in smuggling and illegal immigration, as well as facilitating the delivery of military supplies to the RSF.
A field source told Mada Masr that the Sudanese side of the border triangle had been effectively under the control of the joint force formed of the Sudanese armed movements, which managed the area on the ground while the military only maintained a limited intelligence and security presence. According to the source, the joint force withdrew on Wednesday, after which the RSF advanced, capturing key border posts and a joint force camp, as well as seizing supply trucks belonging to local traders.
A military officer said the RSF's move to open a new desert front is intended to threaten the Northern State, ease pressure on its forces in Kordofan and complicate military operations aimed at breaking the siege on Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. The new front also provides the RSF access to trade revenue and alternative supply routes from Libya, the officer told Mada Masr.
RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo vowed last week to launch attacks on northern and eastern Sudan and the city of Obeid in North Kordofan.
The military officer suggested that the RSF would struggle to maintain control of the area if airstrikes were launched, noting that the group is operating in a region that is socially hostile and far from its traditional strongholds, making a determined defense unlikely.
Military analyst Diaa Zuelnoon al-Tigani told Mada Masr that the RSF's repeated setbacks and the military's gains pushed the UAE to more openly deepen its involvement in Sudan. He accused Abu Dhabi of escalating its support by supplying advanced weaponry, air defense systems and long-range drones, as well as intensifying the recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the conflict.
'Haftar's denials aren't credible because reality contradicts him,' Tigani said. 'On Tuesday, three large cargo planes previously transporting weapons to Nyala [in South Darfur] and Um Jaras [in Chad] were spotted at Libya's Kufra airport and remained there until early Wednesday.'
He warned that Haftar's intervention could leave Egypt with no choice as the war edges closer to its southwestern border. Cairo, he said, would not tolerate threats to its national security, and the RSF's increasingly hostile rhetoric toward Egypt could provoke a firmer and more explicit response from the Egyptian state.
In his speech last week, Hemedti reiterated his claim that Egypt is backing the military, alleging Cairo supplied them with eight aircraft.
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RSF targets Obeid with missiles, drones
The RSF launched three attacks in over a week on Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, after Hemedti threatened to seize the city.
Five people were killed and two others injured on Friday when RSF artillery struck the Arafat neighborhood, according to the Sudanese Doctors' Network.
A local source told Mada Masr the shelling was launched from RSF positions near the town of Bara, prompting the military to respond by shelling RSF positions north of the city.
On Monday morning, the RSF resumed its attacks on Obeid, four days after targeting civilian infrastructure. No casualties have yet been confirmed from the first two strikes.
Residents told Mada Masr they heard explosions on the night of June 5, when six short-range missiles struck neighborhoods in the southern, northern and western parts of Obeid.
The RSF launched the rockets from positions about 65 kilometers outside the city, a military source told Mada Masr.
According to a commander in the military's Fifth Infantry Division, the military is reinforcing its presence around Obeid in a bid to repel RSF attacks and stop the missile strikes, especially with the rainy season approaching.
Every year in June, the rainy season begins and gradually builds up through August, especially in western Sudan. The rains cut off main roads and severely hinder movement, including trade.
The commander noted that the rainy season presents a major logistical challenge for the RSF, which they said already lacks the military supplies needed to hold strategic areas in the state.
An RSF field officer told Mada Masr that their forces in North Kordofan have been ordered to encircle Obeid and claimed the missile strikes targeted military installations rather than civilian sites.
The RSF has launched repeated attacks on Obeid since February, including a drone strike on the city's national prison in May.
The escalation in Obeid comes amid intense fighting across the three Kordofan states. Following the military's full takeover of Khartoum State in May, the main battleground has shifted westward into North, South and West Kordofan.
At the center of these battles is the western Inqaz road — a vital route connecting Khartoum to the Kordofan states and on to Darfur. The military sees the road as a strategic corridor for advancing into Darfur, while the RSF considers it a key defensive line and a launchpad for future attempts to reenter Khartoum.
West Kordofan, which borders South Sudan and includes some of Sudan's most important oil fields, has seen some of the fiercest battles. The RSF and the military traded control over the town of Khawi and the city Nuhud before the RSF ultimately took both.
On Wednesday, the military was able to repel successive RSF attacks on the town of Babanusa, home to its 22nd Infantry Division headquarters, according to a military source in the division.
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RSF launches arrest campaigns in Darfur
The RSF has launched a sweeping arrest campaign in Daein and Nyala, the capitals of East and South Darfur, respectively, three local sources told Mada Masr.
The campaign began during Eid al-Adha, the sources said, when the RSF initiated leadership changes in Daein, dismissing its intelligence chief and launching a series of arrests targeting RSF military and intelligence personnel.
The campaign soon expanded to include civilian officials. Among those detained, according to a local source, was Mohamed Ibrahim Saeed, executive director of Daein locality and a member of the security committee formed by the RSF after it took control of East Darfur in 2023. Also arrested was Adam Ali, director general of the state's Finance Ministry.
An RSF intelligence officer in East Darfur described the arrests as part of a broad intelligence operation. However, a second local source attributed the crackdown to the RSF's recent setbacks in North Kordofan, saying the group's leadership has grown increasingly suspicious of possible communication between the detainees and the government in Port Sudan.
The arrests in Daein coincide with parallel crackdowns in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, where the military has conducted repeated airstrikes on the city's airport.
Meanwhile, the RSF's civilian administration has declared a state of emergency and full mobilization in both South and East Darfur. A member of the state security committee told Mada Masr that a 'popular mobilization' campaign is underway to reinforce RSF forces across the Darfur region.
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RSF continues shelling Fasher, displacement camps as hunger grips the city
Over the past week, RSF forces have continued their bombardment of Fasher — the capital of North Darfur — and nearby displacement camps, launching rocket attacks that have killed and injured dozens of civilians.
Thirty-five people were killed or injured in strikes on Fasher on Monday and Tuesday, three local sources told Mada Masr, while artillery shelling targeting Abu Shouk camp on Monday and Wednesday killed at least nine people and injured several others, according to the camp's emergency room.
The UN Displacement Tracking Matrix estimated that 307 households fled the camp between June 4 and 9 due to heightened insecurity.
RSF shelling also hit the Naivasha market in Abu Shouk on Tuesday, spokesperson for the military-allied joint force, Ahmed Hussein Mostafa, told Mada Masr, describing the repeated strikes as deliberate attacks on civilians that amount to war crimes.
Around 230 people were killed in Fasher over the past month due to deliberate RSF shelling, a medical source in the city told Mada Masr. An additional 30 deaths have been recorded due to hunger and the lack of food and medical supplies.
Living conditions have reached a breaking point amid acute shortages of essential goods and skyrocketing prices, alongside continued artillery bombardment targeting shelters and charity kitchens in market areas.
A source in Fasher's chamber of commerce told Mada Masr that around 100 kg of dried okra is now priced at 1.5 million Sudanese pounds (around US$2,500), a single bar of soap at 30,000 pounds ($50), and a sack of millet — a staple food in the city — sells for between 850,000 and 950,000 pounds ($1,415-$1,580). A sack of sorghum costs around 800,000 pounds ($1,330), while a 50-kg bag of sugar is selling for 4.8 million pounds (around $8,000).
Due to the severe food and grain shortages, residents of Fasher have resorted to consuming livestock feed and tree leaves, local citizens told Mada Masr.
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Sprawling mass graves in Khartoum's cities two years into war
More than 120 new mass graves have been identified across the cities of Khartoum State, as existing cemeteries overflow with unmarked graves, a state government source told Mada Masr.
Older burial grounds have expanded significantly into neighboring lands, according to a senior state official, who added that thousands of deaths have been recorded since the military took full control of the capital in May. Most of these deaths, the official said, were caused by disease outbreaks amid the collapse of infrastructure and the absence of government oversight.
Residents are living in unsafe conditions, with limited awareness of the health risks they face. The official blamed federal authorities for failing to implement preventative and protective measures before allowing residents to return to their homes — particularly as Khartoum State lacks sufficient financial resources.
The cholera crisis in Khartoum remains dire. Deaths and infections continue to rise as the healthcare system crumbles and aid remains scarce. The situation has been further exacerbated by the RSF's shelling of water and electricity stations across the state.
Residents have been forced to drink contaminated water, fueling the spread of cholera, particularly in the city of Omdurman, as well as in other states such as Sennar in southeastern Sudan.
The disease has spread rapidly in the neighborhood of Salha, south of Omdurman — one of the areas most recently recaptured by the military in May.
Medical reports show that residents in Salha had been relying on a contaminated water station, leading to widespread infections and deaths. Continued movement between Salha and other parts of Khartoum State, including Omdurman and Jabal Awliya, has accelerated the disease's spread.
Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim told Mada Masr that between 600 and 700 new cholera cases are being recorded weekly, the majority of them in Khartoum, with fatalities reported among the infected.
In response to the outbreak in Omdurman, Khartoum State's Health Ministry formed an emergency committee to monitor the crisis. Acting Health Minister Fath al-Rahman al-Amin told Mada Masr that the committee remains in continuous session and has established ten isolation centers across the capital, the majority located in Omdurman.