Sudan: 'SAF Regains Strategic Ground in North Kordofan'

Kazgeil / El Rayash / Khowi / El Hammadi / El Obeid / Um Zein — The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have reasserted control over the areas of Kazgeil and El Rayash, located along the southern border of North Kordofan, according to a statement issued by SAF spokesperson Brig Gen Nabil Abdullah on Sunday.

Video footage circulated by pro-SAF platforms shows soldiers stationed at the entrance to Kazgeil, confirming the SAF's presence in the area and declaring victory. The footage comes amid a volatile back-and-forth struggle for territory between SAF and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the region.

Kazgeil has changed hands multiple times in recent weeks. The RSF seized it in late May, following their recapture of Khowi and El Hammadi, just three weeks after the SAF had initially pushed them out. In the latest offensive, SAF soldiers vowed to continue their advance towards El Hammadi, signalling the prospect of further escalation.

Fighting between the two rival forces has intensified across Kordofan, particularly after the SAF tightened its grip on Khartoum and neighbouring central states.

Analysts say Kordofan has now become a key flashpoint, with the RSF viewing it as a critical buffer zone protecting its strongholds further west.

Observers warn that the conflict in Kordofan is likely to deepen, as SAF seeks to push westward into Darfur, a region largely under RSF control.

El Obeid

Around 30,000 people have fled to El Obeid in North Kordofan following a wave of attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to state officials.

Mohamed Ismail, North Kordofan's Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, said the displaced families arrived from villages north of Bara, describing them as civilian areas with no armed presence.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that over 3,000 families had been forced from at least 12 villages in the Bara region. Residents said the entire population of Um Zein village walked to El Obeid, bringing their livestock with them.

The mass displacement comes as El Obeid faces a growing cholera outbreak, putting further strain on health services.

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