Sudanese paramilitaries have claimed the seizure of a strategic area along the border with neighboring Libya and Egypt

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have said their fighters have seized a strategic zone on the border with Egypt and Libya, as the regular government-aligned army, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), announced its withdrawal from the area.

In a statement on Telegram yesterday, the RSF described the capture as “a qualitative step that will have repercussions along several combat fronts, particularly in the northern desert”. The paramilitary group claimed the victory —which they said was “welcomed by spontaneous mass celebrations” by locals — would help combat “ illegal immigration and human trafficking “,