2.3.1. Actors involved and territorial control

During the reference period, the RSF controlled nearly all of South Darfur, except for a small area in the north around Jebel Marra that remained under the control of the Sudan Liberation Movement–Abdel Wahid Al-Nur (SLM-AW).633 South of South Darfur lies Kafia Kingi, a disputed border region claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan.634

The RSF reportedly recruited fighters through tribal and clan leaders, although these fighters frequently returned to tribal allegiances during intercommunal conflict.635 The Salamat and Beni Halba, for example, were among the main tribal groups that declared allegiance to RSF during the early stages of the conflict.636 A map by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, an academic institution within the US Department of Defense, lists militias of most of the above-mentioned tribes (Awlad Al Wadi Clan, Habbaniya, Salamat, Beni Halba militias) as active RSF-aligned groups in South Darfur and further mentions a Baggara militia and Libyan armed groups.637 Reportedly, Colombian mercenaries supporting RSF troops638 were also present in South Darfur, especially in Nyala.639 In August 2026, a prominent Fur traditional leader in South Darfur reportedly pledged four combat brigades in support of the RSF.640