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SAF takes Umm Sayala
The Sudanese army said it took full control of the Umm Sayala area in North Kordofan State after clashes with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with military sources telling Anadolu that the offensive was launched on Umm Sayala near the town of Bara.
“The Sudanese army has taken full control of the Umm Sayala area in Sudan’s North Kordofan State”
The sources said the army seized full control of the area after inflicting what they described as heavy casualties and equipment losses on the RSF, and videos circulated on social media showed Sudanese soldiers announcing control of Umm Sayala alongside footage of destroyed RSF military vehicles.
In a separate account, Radio Dabanga reported that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) says it has captured the towns of Bara, Jabra El Sheikh, and Um Sayala in North Kordofan, giving it full control of the Export Road and securing supply routes to El Obeid.
Radio Dabanga also said the SAF took control of the three towns on Saturday following what it describes as “carefully planned military operations and fierce fighting,” and that RSF fighters retreated leaving behind weapons and military vehicles.
The fighting is part of a war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF that has continued since April 2023, a conflict that UN estimates say has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly 13 million.
Voices and competing frames
Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi said in a Facebook post that the gains made on Saturday mark “not the end of the battle, but the beginning of a new phase of decisive action,” and he said the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Joint Force, and the Popular Resistance had captured Bara, Um Garfa, Um Sayala, and Jabra El Sheikh.
Radio Dabanga also quoted the official spokesman for the Joint Force of the Armed Movements saying Major General Abdelaziz Ismail Abakar, known as “Mr Attack 77”, and Brigadier Abdullah Sharafeldin Abakar, known as “Showh”, were killed during the battle for Bara.
In a different framing, Al-Jazeera Net said the Sudanese army launched intensive attacks from multiple fronts in North Kordofan as part of operations aimed at tightening the noose on the RSF, coinciding with the announcement of its control over Um Siyala.
Al-Jazeera Net added that observers say continued advance on this front could lead to tightening control over the entire state of North Kordofan, and it linked the escalation to drone attacks by the RSF on Al-Ubayyid that resulted in deaths and injuries among civilians.
What comes next
US security expert Cameron Hudson, writing on his X website Sunday morning, said the capture of Bara, Umm Sayala, and four other locations was a very important victory for the army and its allies and that it was great news for the people of El Obeid.
“the likelihood of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) taking control of El Obeid”
Hudson argued that the likelihood of the RSF taking control of El Obeid has been significantly reduced and that in the short term, the pressure on El Obeid appears to have eased, while he said he hoped aid would return soon.
Anadolu reported that North Kordofan has witnessed intensified fighting in recent months as the Sudanese army seeks to expand its control around El-Obeid and advance toward RSF-held positions in Bara, with the area of Umm Sayala located about 57 kilometers (35 miles) north of El-Obeid.
Radio Dabanga said military analysts expect the army to move towards West Kordofan after completing operations in North Kordofan, and it described control of Bara as having changed hands several times between the SAF and the RSF since the outbreak of the current conflict.
Al-Jazeera Net said the army’s control of Um Siyala opens the way for government forces to advance toward Barra and Jabra al-Sheikh, and it described the move as one that could alter the course of military operations in the region and reduce the reach of the RSF in one of the most strategic states in western Sudan.