Sudanese army repels RSF attack in West Darfur, says governor
Darfur governor says army forces and allied fighters repel major assault by paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on strategic Bir Sleiba area in West Darfur
Sudanese army forces and allied fighters repelled a major attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Bir Sleiba area of West Darfur, Darfur Governor Minni Minnawi said on Saturday.
The attack came weeks after the army and the Joint Force of Armed Struggle Movements announced they had retaken Bir Sleiba, following battles with the RSF in July.
Bir Sleiba lies north of Al Junaynah, the capital of West Darfur, and is considered a strategically important location along the routes leading to the city, making it a recurring battlefield between the RSF and the army and its allies.
Minnawi said on US social media platform Facebook that the RSF attacked his forces in Bir Saliba with two mobile units, “believing they could catch our heroes off guard or break their resolve.”
He said the attacking forces were defeated but gave no details on casualties or material losses.
"The battle is not for land, but for the freedom of the people," the governor said.
Members of the Joint Force circulated videos on social media that they said showed their control of Bir Sleiba and destroyed military vehicles they said belonged to the RSF.
The videos could not be independently verified.
The RSF had not commented on Minnawi's account by 1345GMT.
Minnawi also said Tuesday that the army and its allies had repelled an RSF attack on the Bir Sleiba and Jebel al-Maraafeen areas in Darfur.
The International Organization for Migration said Thursday that 6,650 people have been displaced from 11 villages in the Sirba locality of West Darfur because of worsening insecurity and clashes during the previous two days.
West Darfur saw advances by the army and Joint Force in several areas north of Al Junaynah in July after the RSF had established control over most of Darfur.
The army controls Khartoum, Al Jazirah state and most areas of northern, eastern and central Sudan, although territorial control continues to shift as fighting persists.
Fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF has continued since April 15, 2023, following disputes over integrating the paramilitary force into the regular military. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.
As of the end of June 2026, the International Organization for Migration had recorded about 8.69 million internally displaced people in Sudan, along with more than 4.64 million people who had returned to areas inside the country or from abroad.
