Sudan Joint Force says it has taken control of Bir Saliba in West Darfur

The Joint Force of armed movements in Sudan said on Monday that its forces, alongside the Sudanese army, had taken control of the Bir Saliba area in West Darfur following fighting with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The Joint Force, which fights alongside the Sudanese army, comprises Darfur-based armed movements that signed the 2020 Juba peace agreement with Khartoum. They include the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), led by Gibril Ibrahim, and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), led by Darfur Regional Governor Minni Arko Minawi.

In a statement, the Joint Force said its fighters and Sudanese army units had engaged in “fierce field battles” along the Bir Saliba and Abu Saruj axis against the RSF.

It said its forces had destroyed seven RSF combat vehicles, killed a number of its fighters and taken control of Bir Saliba, where they subsequently consolidated their positions.

The Joint Force said it would continue what it described as its national duty of protecting civilians, securing areas and responding to threats to the population.

Members of the Sudanese army and the Joint Force also circulated videos on social media announcing that they had taken control of Bir Saliba.

Bir Saliba is considered strategically important because of its location on the northern axis leading to El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state, and its connection to a key road network.