KHARTOUM, Sudan/ISTANBUL

In recent days, fighting has intensified across the three states of Sudan’s Kordofan region, as the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seek to consolidate territorial control.

The escalation comes amid the army’s efforts to strengthen its grip over Khartoum and open a path westward toward Darfur.

Clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF have grown fiercer as both sides attempt to seize strategic areas that would secure supply routes for their forces in key urban centers across North, South, and West Kordofan.

North Kordofan

The pace of fighting has escalated in western North Kordofan, where the army is attempting to expand its areas of control and restrict RSF movements.

The army has maintained control of El-Obeid, the state capital, and expanded into new areas following a brief lull, while the RSF has limited itself to drone attacks on the city.

The army has also held key towns such as Um Rawaba and Al-Rahd, and reinforced its presence along main roads linking El-Obeid to Bara to prevent RSF infiltration.

Maintaining control in central and eastern parts of the state secures a vital supply line to White Nile state to the east, which connects to central and eastern Sudan.

Bara was the last town the RSF recaptured, imposing control over it on Oct. 25. The town holds strategic value due to its location 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) north of El-Obeid, linking North Kordofan to Omdurman, west of Khartoum.

Whoever controls Bara can also advance westward through North Kordofan toward North Darfur.

Currently, RSF forces hold positions in northern and western areas of the state, controlling Jabra Al-Sheikh, Hamrat El Sheikh, Al-Mazroob, Soudari, and Umm Badr.

These western towns are gateways into North Darfur.

On Saturday, the Sudanese army recaptured the areas of Kazgeil and Umm Dam Haj Ahmed after battles with the RSF, according to a military source.

The RSF had taken Umm Dam Haj Ahmed on Oct. 27, after capturing Kazgeil on Sept. 25.

Umm Dam Haj Ahmed, 70 kilometers (43 miles) northeast of El-Obeid, is known for its historic significance and its large regional market, as well as numerous Quran memorization centers.

Kazgeil, about 45 km (28 miles) south of El-Obeid, is strategically important because it leads into South Kordofan, particularly the RSF-held towns of Dilling and Al-Khuwei.

Control of Kazgeil and Umm Dam Haj Ahmed opens a key route toward the town of An-Nuhud in West Kordofan and onward to East Darfur and its capital, El-Daein—both RSF-held areas.

South Kordofan

Despite heavy fighting in the state capital Kadugli and in Dilling—both army-held and with Dilling under RSF siege for more than a year—the front lines have not changed significantly.

South Kordofan also hosts forces from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, which is fighting alongside the RSF under the “Sudan Founding Alliance.”

On Feb. 22, the RSF and allied political and armed groups signed a political charter in Nairobi aimed at forming a parallel government.

Dilling, the second-largest city in the state, continues to face joint bombardment from the RSF and SPLM-N, including drone strikes.

The RSF’s siege of Dilling aims to block the army’s ability to advance westward toward Al-Fula, the capital of West Kordofan. Such an advance would open the road for the army to push into East Darfur.

On Nov. 6, at least six civilians were killed and 12 wounded in artillery shelling by the RSF and SPLM on Dilling.

Witnesses told Anadolu that RSF forces are stationed in Taybah, located at the junction of roads leading to Dilling, Dibeibat, and Abu Zabad, using it as a base for ground attacks before formalizing their alliance with the SPLM.

West Kordofan

The town of Babnousa—encircled by RSF and SPLM forces—is currently the most volatile area in West Kordofan.

The RSF has continued to hold Al-Fula since June 2024, in addition to the towns of Al-Mujlad to the west and An-Nuhud to the north.

On Saturday, the RSF released videos showing it had sent reinforcements to Babnousa as part of its push to seize the town.

In response, the Sudanese army commander in Babnousa, Maj. Gen. Muawiya Hamad Abdullah, said in a statement on Friday: “The city is fine. We in the 22nd Infantry Division will not negotiate, surrender, or withdraw. We will fight until victory.”

Last Wednesday, heavy clashes with heavy and light weapons, as well as drones, resumed between the army and the RSF in Babnousa, which is the economic hub of the state and home to a major railway station.

In recent days, the army has repelled several large RSF attacks using artillery, drones, and armored vehicles.

On Nov. 8, the RSF declared its readiness to fight for control of Babnousa and defeat army forces that have been airdropping supplies to besieged troops in the town.

Thousands of civilians have fled from Sudan’s three Kordofan states amid violent clashes between the army and the RSF in recent weeks.

According to the International Organization of Migration (IOM), nearly 40,000 people have been displaced from Bara, Sheikan, Rahad, Um Rawaba, and Um Damm Haj Ahmed in North Kordofan since Oct. 26.

The conflict in Sudan between the army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has killed at least 40,000 people and displaced 12 million, according to the World Health Organization.