Sudan: SAF Claims Gains On Omdurman-El Obeid Road As Fighting Continues in North Kordofan

What the report says

AllAfrica, carrying a Dabanga report dated July 27, 2026, said the Sudanese Armed Forces claimed new gains on the Omdurman-El Obeid Export Road after taking Umm Garfa in North Kordofan. The army said its operations had expanded control of the strategic route and caused heavy Rapid Support Forces losses, while soldiers circulated videos purporting to show SAF units on sections of the road and damaged military vehicles nearby.

The report said local sources in El Obeid challenged claims that the route had reopened, saying fighting was still under way and civilian movement remained unsafe. They said the RSF continued to hold Reihad El Nuba, contradicting online reports that traffic had resumed between Omdurman and El Obeid. SAF has previously said it captured Bara, Jabra El Sheikh and Um Sayala as part of its North Kordofan advance.

Dabanga also reported competing battlefield narratives. Pro-RSF accounts claimed two SAF commanders were killed, while officials aligned with the RSF-linked Sudan Founding Alliance sought to project resilience. SAF Assistant Commander-in-Chief Lt Gen Yasser El Atta said army operations would continue toward Um Dafoug in South Darfur, and Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi claimed joint forces had destroyed eight RSF units. The SAF spokesperson separately claimed troops seized 54 working combat vehicles and destroyed or burned more than 62 armed vehicles.

The fighting matters because the road is a key corridor linking Omdurman with El Obeid and western Sudan. Dabanga said Jabra El Sheikh Hospital was left out of service after alleged looting and military use, and local sources reported a new RSF drone strike on El Obeid on Sunday, with no immediate casualty or damage figures available.