December 21, 2024 (WADI HOUR) – Darfur Governor Mini Arko Minawi, who oversees the Joint Force, announced on Saturday that their fighters had captured al-Zurq, a strategic location in North Darfur previously serving as a key base for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Al-Zurq, a remote area in North Darfur, sits at the intersection of Sudan, Chad, and Libya. According to local sources, the RSF has developed the area since 2017, building infrastructure including schools, hospitals, and large military camps and having also begun constructing an airport. Following the outbreak of conflict in Sudan on April 15, 2023, al-Zurq became a crucial point for receiving supplies believed to be sent to the RSF by the United Arab Emirates via Chad and Libya. The Sudanese Air Force had previously targeted the base in attempts to disrupt these supply lines. “Fierce battles fought by the Joint Force in northern Darfur lasted five hours and ended with the removal of all RSF positions protecting the al-Zurq base,” Minawi told Sudan Tribune. “Now the RSF has lost a major supply line linking it to Libya.” Minawi said the RSF had taken control of al-Zurq in 2017 with the support of then-President Omar al-Bashir’s regime. …

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