RSF Rebels in Sudan Capture Strategic Town of Babanusa

Latest Developments

• Key Town Captured: Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claimed on December 1 that they had seized control of the headquarters of the Sudanese Armed Forces’ (SAF’s) 22nd Infantry Division in the West Kordofan town of Babanusa. The reported takeover followed a two-year siege by the RSF, an outgrowth of the Arab Janjaweed militias that first terrorized the Darfur region more than 20 years ago. The SAF denied that the RSF had captured the entire town, accusing the paramilitary force of violating a unilateral ceasefire it had declared just days ago and dismissing it as a tactic deliberately employed by the RSF to hide troop movements.
• New Ceasefire Proposal: The United States has reportedly put forward a new proposal to end the fighting in Sudan that includes “three main tracks.” The civilian-led initiative would include a new route for humanitarian aid, the restoration of civil services across Sudan, and the removal of individuals tied to the Muslim Brotherhood from positions of power. Last month, the SAF’s top general, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, rejected a ceasefire proposal developed by the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), known collectively as “The Quad.” Burhan asserted that the proposal was biased toward the United Arab Emirates — which the SAF accuses of supporting the RSF — and dismissed the U.S. advisor for African Affairs, Massad Boulos, as “an obstacle to peace” for allegedly representing the United Arab Emirates’ interests.
• Russia and Sudan Confirm Military Base Agreement: The Sudanese government confirmed that it is finalizing a long-standing deal with Russia allowing Moscow to establish a naval base on its coast. The agreement, crafted in 2017 and signed in 2020, would allow Russia to deploy approximately 300 military personnel and up to four naval ships near the Red Sea city of Port Sudan for 25 years, with an option for an automatic 10-year extension. Russia pursued the deal, as Port Sudan is a key logistics hub for extending its influence over the Red Sea, a crucial waterway connecting the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean, through which approximately 12 percent of global maritime trade passes. 

FDD Expert Response

“Unfortunately, there really are no good guys in positions of power in the Sudan conflict, only millions of civilian victims who constitute the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. The RSF, which has been making these brutal gains in el-Fasher and now in Babanusa, was formed from the genocidal Janjaweed in 2013. Their main adversaries, the SAF, are affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, associated with Sudan’s catastrophic history of Islamic extremism, and happy to accept support from Russia and Iran. The response of both sides to external peace plans is to speak fair and act foul, not refusing them but redoubling their violent efforts on the ground.” — Edmund Fitton-Brown, Senior Fellow

“This is a result long sought after by Russia — an outlet with easy access to the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. While deals like this are notoriously fickle and it’s not done until it’s built, this naval base in Sudan would be especially beneficial to Russia given its losses in Syria over the past year.” — RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Senior Fellow and Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology

FDD Background and Analysis

“New Satellite Evidence Shows Mass Graves Following Paramilitary Massacre in Sudanese City,” FDD Flash Brief

“Islamic State redoubles call for jihad in Sudan, urges foreign fighters to migrate,” by Caleb Weiss

“RSF seizes El Fasher, forcing Sudanese Armed Forces withdrawal,” by Mariam Wahba and Samuel Ben-Ur

“Reports of Atrocities as RSF Paramilitary Forces Gain Control of Last Government Stronghold in Darfur,” FDD Flash Brief