Who are the Rapid Support Forces?published at 11:22 GMT
11:22 GMT
Image source, ReutersImage caption,
The RSF was allied with the army until they fell out
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was formed in 2013 and has its origins in the notorious Janjaweed militia that brutally fought rebels in Darfur, where they were accused of genocide and ethnic cleansing against the region’s non-Arab population.
Since then, its leader, Gen Dagalo, has built a powerful force that has intervened in conflicts in Yemen and Libya.
He also controls some of Sudan’s gold mines, and allegedly smuggles the metal to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The army accuses the UAE of backing the RSF, and carrying out drone strikes in Sudan. The oil-rich Gulf state denies the allegation.
The army also accuses eastern Libyan strongman Gen Khalifa Haftar of supporting the RSF by helping it to smuggle weapons into Sudan, and sending fighters to bolster the RSF.
In early June 2025, the RSF achieved a major victory when it took control of territory along Sudan’s border with Libya and Egypt.
With el-Fasher now in its hands, the paramilitary group is now unchallenged in much of Darfur and lso in neighbouring Kordofan region.
In July it formed a rival government, raising fears that Sudan could split for a second time – South Sudan seceded in 2011, taking with it most of the country’s oil fields.