Violent clashes at Jabal al-Oweinat: Sudan-Libya border erupts

Violent clashes in the Jabal al-Oweinat region, southeast of Kufra on the Sudan-Libya border, have become a serious escalation in the region.

According to The Arab Weekly plus agencies on the 9th of June, fighting has taken place between the joint force, a coalition of armed Sudanese movements and the Sudanese army, and the “Sabil al-Salam Battalion” of Libya’s National Army, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

Tensions rose last week as the Libyan battalion stationed itself at the al-Oweinat border crossing, increasing regional tensions.

Per The Arab Weekly, the joint force reported that Libyan troops had penetrated over three kilometres into Sudanese territory near Jabal al-Oweinat, which prompted a counter-response.

This incident occurred roughly a month after Libyan authorities closed their land border with Sudan due to the kidnapping of three Libyan nationals.

The clashes at Jabal al-Oweinat are set against the backdrop of Sudan’s ongoing civil war. The triangular border zone between Sudan, Libya, and Egypt is currently controlled by the Sudanese army and its allied armed groups, with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controlling large areas of the northern Darfur desert.

Recently, the RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N) have formed a significant alliance, jointly capturing the strategic town of Um Dahiilib in South Kordofan, which marks a notable advance in their military cooperation.

The border tensions also unfold against a backdrop of wider regional instability.

In neighbouring Libya, recent militia clashes have exposed deep-seated tensions, with authorities discovering 58 unidentified bodies in a Tripoli hospital mortuary.

The conflict erupted following the reported death of Abdelghani Al Kikli, commander of the Support Force Apparatus, highlighting the fragile security situation in the region.

Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh has called for dismantling militias, describing their influence as having grown “excessively” and controlling political, financial, and social landscapes.

The Arab Weekly/Maghrebi.org