The Sudanese army and allied armed groups on Sunday claimed to have recaptured the towns of Bara, Jabra al-Sheikh, and Umm Sayala in North Kordofan, while the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) denied losing the areas, as battlefield reports indicated that fighting was still ongoing and neither side had established full control.
In a statement, the army said it had seized the towns after what it described as fierce battles, claiming to have inflicted heavy losses on the RSF and captured its weapons and military vehicles.
Armed groups fighting alongside the army said the offensive also covered the towns of Al-Baraka and Umm Garfa in North Kordofan. They claimed to have destroyed more than 73 RSF combat vehicles, captured additional equipment, and said military operations in the region were continuing.
RSF adviser Al-Basha Tabiq, writing on Facebook, rejected those claims, saying RSF forces had dealt a major defeat to the attacking troops. He did not provide a detailed military statement outlining territorial control.
Conflicting Accounts
Witnesses and local sources offered accounts that diverged from the official narratives, saying the fiercest fighting took place in Umm Sayala, where both sides suffered heavy casualties, including several field commanders.
Armed movements allied with the army later announced the death of the commander leading the assault, along with a number of other senior officers.
Field sources said army-allied forces initially entered Umm Sayala before advancing into Jabra al-Sheikh, as RSF units withdrew in what appeared to be a collapse of their defensive lines.
However, the same sources said the RSF later regrouped and retook Umm Sayala and Jabra al-Sheikh, forcing army forces to withdraw and redeploy in Bara, about 50 kilometers northeast of El Obeid, the largest city in the Kordofan region.
Platforms affiliated with both sides reported that fighting continued throughout Sunday, making it difficult to verify control of an area that has witnessed repeated advances and retreats since the war began in April 2023.
Umm Sayala is considered strategically important because it overlooks southeastern North Kordofan State, lies close to White Nile and Khartoum states, and helps secure the route to Bara as well as the highway linking Khartoum with El Obeid.
War and Poverty
Sudan’s war erupted on April 15, 2023, after long-running tensions between the army and the RSF escalated into open conflict.
Kordofan has become one of the war’s main battlegrounds, while the RSF and its allies continue to control most of Darfur, large parts of Kordofan, and stretches of the border with South Sudan—areas rich in oil fields and gold mines.
The conflict has killed at least 60,000 people, displaced nearly 13 million, pushed large parts of the country into famine, and left more than 30 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
