Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) say they have taken full control of Babanusa, a key transport hub in oil-producing West Kordofan, while General al-Burhan’s army (SAF) insists the town remains contested.
In a statement on Monday, the RSF said its forces “liberated” Babanusa after repelling what it described as a surprise offensive by the SAF, calling the move “a clear violation of the humanitarian truce” currently in place.
The following day, the SAF issued a counter-statement rejecting the RSF’s claim that it holds the entire town. It accused the group of continuing to target Babanusa with attacks.
According to the SAF, RSF units have been carrying out daily artillery and drone strikes on the town, and government troops repelled a fresh assault on Monday.
Neither side’s battlefield claims could be independently verified.
On 19 November, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would move to help end the conflict, which erupted in April 2023 from a power struggle between the army and the RSF leadership.
Earlier in November, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Saudi Arabia – known collectively as the Quad – proposed a three-month humanitarian truce followed by peace talks. The RSF publicly accepted the plan, but shortly afterwards launched a series of drone attacks on army positions.
The battle for Babanusa comes after a major RSF advance in October, when the group captured al-Fashir, the SAF’s last major stronghold in the Darfur region, further shifting the military balance in the west of the country.