The Rapid Support Forces have reportedly flown thousands of fighters from Sudan to Libya and Ethiopia over the past two weeks for advanced military training, according to military sources within the group.
Three RSF sources told Darfur24 that the fighters departed through Nyala International Airport in South Darfur and are expected to be redeployed to several battlefronts after completing their training, particularly in Darfur and Blue Nile.
Some of those transferred had already undergone basic training at camps in and around Nyala, including Domaya, Mousiya and the railway-crossing area. Others had reportedly been stationed at public facilities and government institutions despite having received little or no previous military training.
The sources said several of those locations had been emptied following the fighters’ departure.
The groups reportedly included foreign recruits from neighbouring South Sudan who had been assembled in Nyala in recent months.
Local residents said the operation coincided with a noticeable increase in large cargo aircraft landing at Nyala airport, with between one and two flights reportedly arriving each day.
The RSF and its allied TASIS coalition have also not issued a direct statement addressing the Darfur24 report. Their official channels have instead focused on inspections of military training camps and recent battlefield advances by TASIS forces in Blue Nile and Kordofan, without saying whether any of the fighters involved had received training abroad.
The RSF has previously rejected separate allegations involving foreign combatants and military activity at Nyala airport, describing such reports as politically motivated fabrications. However, no specific denial of the latest claim concerning transfers to Libya and Ethiopia has been issued.
Darfur24 said the RSF carried out similar operations during the previous year, sending thousands of fighters to Libya for advanced training before redeploying them to combat zones.
The outlet has also previously reported the movement of RSF reinforcements from Nyala towards Blue Nile through neighbouring countries, including routes passing through South Sudan and Ethiopia.
The latest claims come as military operations intensify across Darfur, Kordofan and Blue Nile, raising concerns that Sudan’s war is becoming increasingly regionalised.
The fighting continues to deepen the humanitarian crisis in contested areas, where civilians face displacement, disrupted trade, deteriorating public services and worsening shortages of food and essential supplies.
