Al-Malha: Saleh Haririn – A field commander in the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) told Rhino on Saturday that their forces’ entry into the Al-Malha area in North Darfur is not just a military victory, but the loss of Minni Arko Minawi of his most important fortified camps amid the mountains. Field commander Abdulrahman Ali, who participated in the battles of Al-Malha, added that the liberation of the area constitutes a strategic shift that shifts the balance of power and isolates the armed movements from the 6th Division, which is besieged by the RSF.

For his part, a source from the RSF told Rhino that the capture opens the door wide open to ‘the brutality of the desert boys’ cannons’ and opens many tactical operational options, most notably the northern axis.

He added that their forces inflicted losses on the movements’ militias in terms of lives and equipment, stressing that the control of Al-Malha was a mercy bullet for the movements in Darfur, as El Fasher is now a coffin for a postponed funeral.

Al-Malha connects Sudan with Chad, Libya and the states of North Kordofan and North Darfur, and is 210 km north of the city of El Fasher, one of its localities

The town’s strategic importance comes from the fact that it was an impregnable fortress for the joint forces and their supply point to the besieged El Fasher. In addition to its gold mines, Al Malha is the largest land port connecting sub-Saharan countries to Sudan. Al-Malha is also the centre of the intersections of the supply lines for the armed movements, as the supply lines come east from Dibba. Throughout the war, the supply route remained open, and a mobile called ‘Desert Wrath’, which included a force from the armed movements and three battalions from different army factions, arrived through it.

It has a mountain range in the east of central Al-Malha, including the Al-Atrun Mountains, where Al-Atrun is extracted and exported to neighboring countries, noting that it is the only location in the desert where ” Al-Atrun” is found.