The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced on Saturday that they had successfully captured the Sudanese army headquarters in El Geneina, West Darfur state, marking the third military base to fall to the RSF within a week.

The RSF shared video clips on their social media platforms, depicting their fighters inside the army’s 15th Infantry Division headquarters in El Geneina, alongside images of detained army personnel.

In a statement received by Sudan Tribune, the RSF celebrated their victory, stating they had “added another victory to their series of successes by taking control of the 15th Infantry Division in El Geneina, West Darfur State, along with its full complement of military equipment.”

The RSF’s statement accused the leadership of the 15th Infantry Division in El Geneina of playing a destructive role in West Darfur by distributing weapons to civilians, which allegedly fueled violence, leading to deaths, displacement, and unrest.

This recent capture follows the RSF’s takeover of the 16th Division headquarters in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State, and their control of the 21st Division in Zalingei, the capital of Central Darfur State, just days later.

An anonymous traditional leader informed Sudan Tribune that the Sudanese army withdrew from its command headquarters at the request of local mediation led by Native Administration leaders in West Darfur. The army relocated to Kulbus, north of El Geneina, taking its military equipment, senior officers, and soldiers with it.

Despite repeated attempts, a Sudanese army spokesperson remained unavailable for comment on the fall of the 15th Infantry Division leadership in El Geneina.

Local leaders had previously proposed the Sudanese army’s withdrawal from the besieged base to prevent further bloodshed, but the force commander in West Darfur had rejected the idea.

The Sudanese Alliance, a coalition of armed groups led by the late governor of West Darfur state, Khamis Abdallah Abkar, emphasized that the loss of the 15th Division in El Geneina should not be seen as the loss of the entire war. They further described the conflict as a “war of occupation, genocide, and ethnic cleansing.”

The coalition stated that its members had been killed while defending their land and honour against RSF attacks launched on Friday and Saturday.

Last June, Governor Khamis Abdallah Abkar of West Darfur was killed, and his body was mutilated. Accusations arose that the Rapid Support Forces and affiliated Arab militias were involved in the incident.

Additionally, the West Darfur State Revolutionaries Bloc, a youth group, accused the paramilitary forces and their allied Arab militias of harsh treatment of civilians in Kerenik locality, West Darfur State, following the withdrawal of the Sudanese army from the town.

The group claimed that looting, intimidation, and numerous arrests took place, urging the residents of Kerenik to leave the area, which they view as beyond the reach of state authority and under RSF control.