A senior adviser to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has accused security bodies aligned with Sudan’s Port Sudan-based military authorities of working with Russian-linked Wagner elements to carry out military movements in western Sudan near the Central African Republic (CAR) border.
The allegations follow reports, cited by Germany’s dpa news agency and attributed to local sources, claiming a Russian force entered the town of Karkar in South Darfur — about 55 km south of the Um Dafuq locality.
Al-Basha Tabeq, an adviser to the RSF commander, told Sky News Arabia that the force operating in the area is part of the Wagner network. He said the group is moving in coordination with officials from Sudan’s General Intelligence and Military Intelligence.
Tabeq claimed the force removed RSF-affiliated police and administrative staff from Karkar, changing security arrangements that had been in place between the RSF and local counterparts across the border in CAR.
He added that similar incidents had occurred before, saying the same forces had previously entered Sudanese territory and clashed with local groups. He said the prime minister of the “Government of Peace and Unity” affiliated with the Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS) had issued a statement condemning such violations.
According to Tabeq, the presence of the Russian-linked force along the border is driven not only by security considerations but by an attempt to control gold mines and other natural resources in the area.
The border region between Sudan and CAR has seen rising tensions and overlapping military activity in recent months, fueling concerns about wider security and political fallout for Darfur and surrounding areas.
Russian forces are already stationed at sites inside CAR near the Sudanese border, with Birao in the country’s northeast described as a key hub for that presence.
