The Sudanese army has withdrawn from the strategically significant Libya-Egypt-Sudan border triangle, it announced on Wednesday, just a day after accusing forces loyal to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar of launching a cross-border attack in collaboration with Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The area, patrolled primarily by Sudanese soldiers from former rebel groups now aligned with the army, is near the contested city of al-Fashir—one of the main frontlines in Sudan’s ongoing civil war. The army claims the corridor has been used by the RSF and Haftar’s forces to smuggle weapons into the conflict zone.
“As part of its defensive arrangements to repel aggression, our forces today evacuated the triangle area,” the Sudanese military said in a brief statement, offering no further details about the decision.
On Tuesday, Haftar’s forces denied any involvement in an attack across the border. Instead, they claimed it was forces allied with Sudan’s military that had initiated hostilities by targeting Libyan patrols.
The Sudanese army has also accused the United Arab Emirates—an ally of Haftar—of supporting the weapons supply chain. The UAE has repeatedly denied these allegations. Egypt, another regional player and a strong supporter of the Sudanese military, maintains close ties with Haftar as well, complicating the geopolitical landscape.
The withdrawal underscores the intensifying regional dimensions of Sudan’s civil war, with foreign alliances and cross-border skirmishes threatening to expand the conflict beyond national boundaries.
Melissa Enoch
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