The Rapid Support Forces have deployed major reinforcements around Kulbus in West Darfur, local sources said Thursday, as tensions rise following the Joint Force’s recent announcement that it had seized the strategic town.
The movements come days after the Joint Force, which is allied with General al-Burhan’s SAF, said on June 29 that it had taken control of Kulbus after heavy fighting with the RSF.
Kulbus, located around 130 kilometres north of El Geneina, carries both strategic and symbolic weight. The town is a historic centre of the Qamar community and hosts the main seat of the tribe’s sultanate. Its position also links West Darfur to key routes toward North Darfur and the Chadian border.
Local sources told Sudan Tribune that RSF units had moved combat vehicles and armoured reinforcements from El Geneina toward northern West Darfur throughout the week, while additional forces reportedly arrived from Saraf Omra and Kabkabiya in North Darfur.
The sources said the deployments were concentrated around areas including Abu Leha, Abu Qamra, Wadi Seera, southern Jebel Moon and Hileilat, around 30 kilometres east of Kulbus. They added that the buildup could signal preparations for renewed military operations around Kulbus and Tina.
The latest escalation follows the Joint Force’s push into Kulbus after nearly two years of RSF control. The RSF had taken the town in October 2024 following clashes with the Joint Force.
Local sources also reported displacement from villages along the Ambro-Tina road in North Darfur, saying residents had fled toward Chad amid the latest movements and insecurity in the area.
During the early phase of the war in West Darfur, local leaders in Kulbus had reached arrangements that spared the town from direct fighting despite the RSF’s wider expansion across the state. The town later became part of the shifting military map after renewed confrontations in October 2024.
The new deployments underline the growing importance of the northern West Darfur front, where control of border routes, tribal strongholds and supply corridors has become central to the wider conflict between the RSF and SAF-aligned forces.
