How a Remote Airstrip in Libya Reshaped Sudan’s Civil War

A remote airstrip in southeastern Libya has reshaped Sudan’s civil war by providing a lifeline to the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, according to more than a dozen military, intelligence and diplomatic officials. … Military supplies sent via the airstrip in Kufrah, about 300 km from Sudan’s border, helped the RSF revive its fortunes after the Sudanese army retook the capital Khartoum in March, the officials said. The supply route was central to the RSF’s brutal capture of the city of al-Fashir in October, which allowed the paramilitary group to consolidate its control over Darfur and preceded a series of victories in Sudan’s south. The vast desert region of Kufrah is controlled by a Libyan military commander allied with the United Arab Emirates – a Gulf nation that U.N. experts and the U.S. Congress have accused of sponsoring the RSF. … The airport – largely unused before this year – has undergone extensive renovation and received dozens of cargo flights since the spring, coinciding with a growing RSF presence to its south, an analysis of satellite images, flight tracking data and social media shows. (Reuters)