General al-Burhan’s army (SAF) has struck a deal with tribal leader Musa Hilal, a former Janjaweed commander, to form a joint force with SAF-aligned Darfur factions as it struggles to hold El Fasher, the last major city under its control in the region.
Hilal, who heads the Revolutionary Awakening Council and is chief of the Mahamid tribe, met publicly with leaders of the “joint forces” alliance for the first time on Sunday. The two sides agreed to set up a force to reopen shuttered markets and roads, curb crime and protect the farming season, spokesman Ahmed Abkar said.
The accord follows weeks of quiet contacts with SAF leaders, according to observers, and reflects the SAF’s weakening position in Darfur, where the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have pressed assaults on El Fasher, capital of North Darfur.
SAF-aligned groups are counting on Hilal to chip away at RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo’s support base and to lure Arab fighters serving in RSF ranks to defect, analysts say. Ahead of the announcement, Hilal urged Arab combatants to switch sides, declaring, “Whoever enters the house of Musa Hilal is safe.”
Hilal had kept a low battlefield profile since war erupted between the SAF and the RSF in April 2023, though in April 2024 he publicly backed the SAF and branded the RSF “a militia and mercenaries.”
Aid officials warn the conflict is sliding deeper into ethnic violence reminiscent of the 2003 Darfur war, which killed an estimated 300,000 people and displaced about 2.5 million, according to the United Nations. UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said on Monday that “a large part of the ongoing violence” echoes the atrocities of two decades ago, while international attention has waned.
Analysts cautioned it is too early to gauge whether Hilal’s pact with the joint forces can alter the balance of power around El Fasher, where the RSF currently holds the advantage.
