Rapid Support Forces

Also known as: RSF · Reporters Without Borders

Rapid Support Forces — paramilitary group at war with Sudan's army since April 2023, accused of drone strikes on civilians and systematic sexual violence in Darfur.

World & Region

Ethiopia revokes independent news outlet Addis Standard

The News

Ethiopia's Media Authority revoked the licence of independent online outlet Addis Standard on 24 February, citing violations of media ethics and endangerment of national interests. The action is part of a broader crackdown on press freedom ahead of legislative elections in June, with journalists from Reuters, Deutsche Welle, and BBC also having credentials denied or not renewed in recent months.

26 February 2026 · New Era →

Thursday 26 February

Ethiopia revokes independent news outlet Addis Standard
Ethiopia's Media Authority revoked the licence of independent online outlet Addis Standard on 24 February, citing violations of media ethics and endangerment of national interests. The action is part of a broader crackdown on press freedom ahead of legislative elections in June, with journalists from Reuters, Deutsche Welle, and BBC also having credentials denied or not renewed in recent months.
26 February 2026 · New Era →

Wednesday 25 February

Drone strikes escalate in Sudan's Kordofan conflict zone
Sudan's civil war has intensified in the gold and oil-rich Kordofan region, with near-daily drone attacks killing civilians and shaping the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Both sides are accused of strikes on civilian infrastructure, and the fighting threatens to widen into a regional conflict as fighting spreads to the Blue Nile region.
25 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Tuesday 24 February

Chad closes Sudan border after deadly fighting spreads across frontier
Chad shut its eastern border with Sudan "until further notice" as a security measure after fighting in the border town of al-Tina killed at least eight people, with authorities citing repeated incursions by Sudanese armed groups and the spread of Sudan's civil war toward Chadian territory. The closure affects nearly a million Sudanese refugees already in Chad and humanitarian access to Sudan, though exemptions for humanitarian reasons may be granted.
24 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 12 February

Sudan paramilitary drone strike kills two children at school
A drone strike blamed on Sudan's Rapid Support Forces killed two children and injured 12 others at a traditional Koranic school in El-Rahad, in the Kordofan region, which has become the fiercest battlefield in the ongoing civil war between the RSF and the regular army since April 2023.
12 February 2026 · New Era →

Wednesday 11 February

Somalia and Saudi Arabia sign military cooperation agreement
Somalia's defence minister and his Saudi counterpart signed a military cooperation agreement in Riyadh on Monday, part of broader strategic competition in the Horn of Africa between Gulf monarchies Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
11 February 2026 · New Era →

Thursday 22 January

Philippine journalist convicted on terrorism financing charges
Frenchie Mae Cumpio, a 26-year-old Philippine journalist who reported on military and police abuses, was convicted of financing terrorism and sentenced to at least 12 years in prison. Press freedom groups have denounced the conviction as fabricated and a "travesty of justice," arguing the charges were designed to silence her critical reporting.
22 January 2026 · The Namibian →

Tuesday 13 January

Sudan's government returns to capital after three-year war
Sudan's military-led government has returned to Khartoum after nearly three years of operating from Port Sudan following the 2023 civil war outbreak between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The capital, which saw roughly five million residents flee and suffered mass destruction, now faces a lengthy recovery effort as the government pledges to restore electricity, water, healthcare and education services.
13 January 2026 · The Namibian →