Sudanese Army Advances in Kordofan, Putting the RSF Under Pressure

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) gained control over several strategically important villages and localities in West Kordofan this week. This is shifting the war against the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the army's favour.

On Friday, the Sudanese army took control of al-Khuwai, according to local media. This is one of the main towns in West Kordofan and a strategically important site in the army's ongoing campaign against the RSF in the resource-rich state, which began several weeks ago.

The offensive by the SAF and allied Darfur forces has broken the RSF siege on al-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, and surrounding areas. It has also opened up new routes for the army in central and southwest Sudan, paving the way for advances in South Kordofan, all the way to Babnusa and the approaches to North Darfur, including an important road linking al-Nuhud, the site of gold mines, and al-Khuwai.

The RSF, alongside its alleged allies in the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North led by Abdelaziz Al-Hilu, still holds al-Nuhud and parts of South Kordofan. But its recent defeats in southern and western Sudan could weaken the paramilitary's ability to co-opt tribal groups in the region.

Independent Sudanese analyst Mohamed Ali said the RSF's shift from attack to defence will alter its military composition, which was built on demanding rapid tribal support. He said the Kordofan region is not a social stronghold for the RSF, so it is expected to withdraw from the region and reposition its forces in Darfur. This would give the army a strategic advantage in Kordofan and could make Darfur the new epicentre of the conflict sooner than expected.

The RSF's main social and tribal support base is among the Arab communities of south and east Darfur, including areas around Nyala and el-Daein, along with border areas with neighbouring countries. Mohiedeen Mohamed, an expert on Sudanese military affairs, said the RSF has relied heavily on mobilising tribes and civilians in areas under its control, particularly when it comes under attack from several fronts and reinforcements are desperately needed to hold the line. He said that when the RSF expanded into parts of Kordofan it established alliances with certain tribal groups and local communities, but these alliances can be understood, at least in part, as arrangements driven by military and political necessity. In recent weeks, as the SAF gains ground, a number of tribal and other groups have defected from the RSF.

After the downfall of former President Omar al-Bashir in 2019, a power struggle emerged between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the SAF, and his former ally in the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo, developing into a nationwide conflict between the two sides in April 2023. Fighting between the SAF and RSF has resulted in one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with about 150,000 people killed and more than 14 million of Sudan's 53 million population displaced in the ongoing war.

The RSF still consolidates control across all five states in Darfur, including el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which fell to the RSF in October 2025 after a brutal siege and bloody reprisals that saw thousands of civilians killed, tortured, detained or raped.

The United Nations has identified Kordofan as the epicentre of Sudan's conflict and said fighting in the area is complicating an already dire humanitarian situation. Continued fighting has seen about 4.5 million civilians flee to Chad, Egypt, South Sudan and other neighbouring countries. Civilians are paying the highest price, with drones targeting them and civilian infrastructure including homes, schools, health facilities, power and water plants. About 160 people were killed in drone attacks over several days in October in western regions of Sudan. Analysts say the SAF's growing air superiority, extensive use of drones and changing ground tactics have enabled advances along unexpected routes, as demonstrated by the capture of Al-Khuwei, and that these developments significantly reduce the RSF's chances of regaining lost territory.

Most humanitarian assistance operations in the region have halted due to the deteriorated security situation. Omer Yousif, 55, a driver who works in aid delivery for an organisation called Tasami, said travelling through his native Kordofan has become an increasingly dangerous task, but he believes the humanitarian and security situation might improve if the SAF campaign in the region is successful. He said, 'We were travelling to all of Kordofan region despite the danger because we wanted to help our people. I was captured last August by the militia and I was beaten. Some of my colleagues were tortured and killed.' In his words, restoring the Kordofan region to the SAF means more aid can be delivered to both Kordofan and the Darfur region.

Military expert Al-Rasheed Mohamed said the SAF offensive in Kordofan appears to have had some success in consolidating their gains in central Sudan, and opening a new route towards Darfur. He said the current operations along the western strategic axis are part of a broader military strategy linked to the overall plan to reclaim control of the entire country and restore Sudan's sovereignty over every inch of its territory.

Control of Kordofan also brings considerable economic and strategic benefits, with the region rich in agricultural products including sesame seeds, groundnuts, hibiscus and gum arabic. It is also home to the strategically important Heglig oilfield, a major oil processing and transit hub for Sudanese and South Sudanese crude, as well as gold. Mohamed al-Nayer, a professor of economics at the University of Sudan, said the Heglig and Balila oil fields in West Kordofan produce 90 percent of Sudan's oil. He said Kordofan's stability is equally important to South Sudan, whose oil exports depend on transportation through Sudanese territory to Bashayer Port, so both countries share a strategic interest in securing oil infrastructure, protecting border areas and restoring cross-border trade.