Sudan’s Burhan chairs 1st security council meeting after North Kordofan advances

Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan chaired a security council meeting Sunday to review the country’s security situation and ongoing military operations following recent army gains in North Kordofan state.

The Sovereign Council said in a statement that the meeting, held in the capital Khartoum, was the first since the army regained control of several areas in North Kordofan.

The council “reviewed the overall security situation in the country and assessed the progress of military operations and measures aimed at strengthening security and stability,” the statement said.

It was also briefed on “the plans and preparations of the armed forces, regular forces and supporting forces, as well as their readiness to defend the country and protect its security and sovereignty.”

The council, Sudan’s highest security authority, “discussed the challenges facing national security and adopted a number of decisions and measures aimed at strengthening the rule of law and combating organized crime.”

It decided to establish “special courts to handle crimes involving drugs, human trafficking, arms smuggling and gold smuggling.”

The council affirmed that the state would “continue taking measures to protect national security, strengthen the rule of law and confront all security threats in a manner that preserves the country’s stability and the safety of its citizens.”

The meeting came a week after the Sudanese army announced that it had regained control of the cities of Bara, Jabra al-Sheikh and Um Sayala in North Kordofan following clashes with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

A day earlier, Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi said army forces had recaptured Bara and the areas of Um Garfa, Um Sayala and Jabra al-Sheikh after military operations against the RSF.

Sudan’s three Kordofan states -- North, West and South -- have witnessed continued fighting between the army and the RSF since October 2025.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly 13 million, according to UN and international estimates.