The paramilitary RSF of Sudan claims to have taken over Babanusa in West Kordofan

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group in Sudan, announced on Monday that it had taken complete control of Babanusa, a transportation hub in the oil-producing south of the country.

As it resisted “a surprise attack” by the Sudanese army in what it described as “a clear violation of the humanitarian truce,” the RSF stated in a statement that it had “liberated” Babanusa in West Kordofan state, the most recent frontline in the war in Sudan.

The conflict began in April 2023, and U.S. President Donald Trump declared on November 19 that he would step in to put an end to it.

Earlier in November, the Quad—the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia—proposed a plan for a three-month ceasefire that would be followed by peace negotiations. After claiming to have approved the plan, the RSF launched a flurry of drone attacks on army areas.

After capturing al-Fasher, the army’s final stronghold in Darfur, in October, the RSF’s attack on Babanusa builds on their momentum.