Investigative Report Uncovers RSF Military Base Hidden in the Libyan Desert
Sudan Events – Agencies
Today (Sunday), Radio France Internationale (RFI) published a report revealing the extent to which Libyan territory—controlled by Khalifa Haftar’s forces—has become a rear base for logistics and supply operations supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia.
Below is the translation of the RFI investigative report:
A research center specializing in digital open-source intelligence tracked the movements of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces by analyzing satellite images, videos, and photos posted online. The investigation confirms the existence of a militia base hidden in the Libyan desert near the city of Al-Kufra.
The Center for Information Resilience (CIR) indicated that this site is likely used as a rear logistics base supporting RSF operations in Sudan’s Darfur region.
The analysis, titled “How We Discovered a Rapid Support Forces Military Camp in the Libyan Desert,” shows that vehicles observed at the Libyan camp later appeared in the Zamzam displacement camp, where the RSF launched an attack in April.
Clementine Nkweta Salami, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan at the time, reported that at least 100 people were killed during that assault, including more than 20 children and at least nine aid workers.
She added: “Attacks targeting civilians, humanitarian workers, and civilian infrastructure constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law. Such acts are abhorrent and unforgivable.”
The CIR organization also identified a direct link between the Libyan site and a senior RSF commander who was later seen in Zamzam camp—the largest displacement camp in Sudan, hosting nearly one million war-displaced people.
“Armed Convoys”
The investigation documents large convoys of armed Toyota Land Cruisers observed at different times in the desert. These same vehicles, parked in a rocky area in southern Libya, were later seen in the Zamzam camp.
The International Relations Center reported that Zamzam camp is currently used as a base by Colombian mercenaries and other foreign fighters involved in RSF attacks on El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
The RSF besieged the city for 18 months.
These findings come as a court in Port Sudan indicted RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemeti, two of his brothers, and 13 others in absentia for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
The charges relate to the April 2023 attack on Geneina, the capital of West Darfur.
One RSF commander, Abdulrahman Juma, is accused of leading the Geneina assault, overseeing the killing of West Darfur’s governor, Khamis Abdullah Abakar, in June 2023, and committing acts of genocide against thousands of Masalit people, including burying some alive.
According to the Special Court for Combating Terrorism and Crimes Against the State, other accused individuals incited the attack and committed rape, torture, and looting.
“Presence of Senior RSF Generals”
The CIR investigation also confirmed the presence of Major General Hamdan Al-Kojali, security chief for Abdulrahim Hamdan Dagalo, the RSF’s second-in-command. Al-Kojali was seen several times, notably in a vehicle spotted in Zamzam in April.
Researchers say Al-Kojali was seriously wounded near El Fasher in early April while traveling in an armored vehicle. He was treated at the Turkish hospital in Nyala, South Darfur, which cares for RSF casualties.
The CIR investigators report that other men directly responsible for Dagalo’s security have been killed.
Some videos show camouflage uniforms bearing RSF shoulder patches. The vehicles, without license plates, share identical features—same model, same weapons, same water supplies.
Painted numbers on the car covers and doors helped track vehicle movements across locations. According to the CIR investigation, RSF military equipment is widely transported through Libya.
This corroborates findings by UN experts who highlighted violations of the arms embargo in 2024, noting a supply route from Abu Dhabi to Darfur via Chad and Libya.
Last April, UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the continued flow of weapons and fighters into Sudan, calling for an end to all external support.
In June, the RSF seized territories in northwest Sudan along the borders with Libya and Egypt.
The group now uses this area to smuggle supplies from Libya without interference.
