Army-Allied Forces Repel RSF Attack On Strategic West Darfur Area

El Geneina, August 8, 2026 - The Joint Force of armed movements allied with Sudan's army repelled a major Rapid Support Forces attack on Bir Saliba in West Darfur, according to Darfur Governor Minni Minnawi. The assault was the RSF's second attempt in less than a week to seize the area.

A previous attack resulted in the death of Mahdi Jebel Moon, the RSF operational commander for far northwestern Darfur. The latest RSF attack advanced from Kulbus to the north and Soleia to the south in an apparent effort to encircle allied positions. Fighters from the Joint Force later displayed destroyed military vehicles and defeated RSF units after the clash.

Bir Saliba is strategically important because it sits near Sirba locality, about 40 kilometres from El Geneina, and helps shape access toward Tine and northern Darfur. For the RSF, the area is part of the defensive perimeter around El Geneina; for army-aligned forces, it is a forward barrier against further RSF expansion.

The fighting has displaced at least 6,650 people from 11 villages in Sirba locality. The area remains highly sensitive because RSF forces committed severe abuses there during the 2023 campaign against West Darfur communities, later designated by the United States as genocide against the Masalit ethnic group.