2.5.1. Actors involved and territorial control

During the reference period, the RSF maintained control over all of East Darfur,736 where it was frequently accused of unlawful killings, looting and arbitrarily detaining civilians suspected of collaborating with the SAF.737 In August 2025, for instance, the RSF conducted a large-scale arrest campaign in the town of Adila.738 Along the border with South Sudan, RSF forces reportedly were present north of the Kiir River, while South Sudanese security forces were deployed along the southern bank.739 RSF-aligned militias reportedly active in East Darfur included armed groups associated with the Barqit (Bergid) and Fur communities,740 as well as the Darfur Communal Militia, Habbaniyah Militia, and Al-Fayaren Clan Militia.741 Following a May 2025 campaign by RSF to recruit new fighters that reportedly involved the forced recruitment of civilians,742 the RSF-aligned civilian administration launched a state-wide mobilisation drive in August 2026 to recruit volunteers from localities across East Darfur for deployment to North Kordofan.743

  • 736

    Sudans Post, Territorial Control Map – Sudan Conflict (as of June 21, 2026) [Map 1], 22 June 2026, url; Sudan Tribune, Six killed in army drone strike on East Darfur fuel market, 8 March 2026, url; Sudans Post, Territorial control in Sudan – October 2025 [Map 3], 12 October 2025, url; Soliman, A. and Baldo, S., Gold and the war in Sudan [Map], Chatham House, updated 24 March 2026, url

  • 737

    Sudan Tribune, Senior RSF officer and tribal leader killed in East Darfur internal clashes, 2 February 2026, url

  • 738

    Darfur 24, RSF apprehends prominent NCP figures in East Darfur, 11 August 2025, url

  • 739

    Atar, Markets And Mobility For Survival Along the Sudan–South Sudan Borderland: A Trip To Riqebat Border Market In East Darfur, 20 July 2026, url

  • 740

    Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Mapping the Armed Actors in the Sudan Conflict [Map], 7 July 2026, url; Darfur 24, أحداث “خزان جديد” تدفع نازحين إلى الفرار مجددًا نحو جبل مرة ["Khazan Jadeed" events prompt displaced people to flee again towards Jebel Marra], 10 February 2026, url; Darfur 24, RSF Deploys Reinforcements to Khazan Jadid After Deadly Internal Clashes, 4 February 2026, url

  • 741

    Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Mapping the Armed Actors in the Sudan Conflict [Map], 7 July 2026, url

  • 742

    Sudan Tribune, Sudan’s RSF detains civilians, offers fight-or-pay ultimatum – doctors group, 28 May 2025, url; Ayin Network, Rapid Support Forces resort to forced recruitment campaigns, 26 June 2025, url

  • 743

    Sudan Tribune, RSF launches recruitment drive in East Darfur, 4 August 2026, url