Sudanese army retreats from Libyan border after alleging Haftar attack

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo via Reuters

DUBAI  -  The Sudanese army retreated from the Libya-Egypt-Sudan border triangle area, it said on Wednesday, a day after it accused forces loyal to eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar of an attack alongside the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Sudanese soldiers, largely from former rebel groups aligned with the army, had patrolled the area. Sudan's military, which is fighting against the RSF in a civil war, accuses the RSF and Haftar's forces of using the corridor for weapons deliveries. The area is close to the city of al-Fashir, one of the war's main frontlines.

"As part of its defensive arrangements to repel aggression, our forces today evacuated the triangle area," the Sudanese army said in a statement without elaborating. 

Late on Tuesday, Haftar's forces had denied participating in a cross-border attack, saying forces allied to the Sudanese army had attacked Libyan patrols.

Sudan accuses the United Arab Emirates, one of Haftar's backers, of being behind the weapons deliveries, which the UAE denies. Egypt, a close ally of the Sudanese army, also backs Haftar.

 (Reporting by Jana Choukeir and Ahmed ElimamWriting by Nafisa EltahirEditing by Peter Graff // REUTERS)