Sudan: Sudanese Army Claim Capture of Strategic North Kordofan Towns

What the report says

Dabanga, in a report distributed by AllAfrica, said the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) announced that it had taken Bara, Jabra El Sheikh and Um Sayala in North Kordofan on Saturday. The army described the advances as the result of planned operations and intense clashes with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and said RSF fighters withdrew after losses in personnel and equipment. Dabanga reported that it had sought comment from the RSF.

According to field sources cited by Dabanga, the SAF and the Joint Force also stopped an RSF attempt to recapture the areas. Military analysts quoted in the report said control of the towns strengthens the army’s hold over the Export Road, improves supply links to El Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital, and reduces the RSF’s ability to re-establish positions in the area. They also expected the army to turn attention toward West Kordofan after operations in North Kordofan.

The report said Bara has changed hands more than once since Sudan’s current war began. The spokesman for the Joint Force of the Armed Movements said two commanders, Major General Abdelaziz Ismail Abakar, known as “Mr Attack 77,” and Brigadier Abdullah Sharafeldin Abakar, known as “Showh,” were killed in the battle for Bara.

Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi and Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim Mohamed, who leads the Justice and Equality Movement, both framed the reported gains as significant battlefield successes. The claims, if sustained, would matter because North Kordofan links key routes between central Sudan, Darfur and other conflict zones.