Sudanese army ends RSF’s two-year siege of El Obeid

February 25, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese army said on Sunday it had broken a nearly two-year siege imposed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan state, linking its forces advancing from White Nile state with those already stationed inside the city.

In recent weeks, the army’s “Al-Sayyad” mobile force, largely composed of soldiers from the 16th Infantry Division based in Nyala, South Darfur, seized Um Rawaba and Al-Rahd, then advanced through the Al-Ghar and Kordofan Mountains to El Obeid, the 5th Infantry Division’s headquarters.

“Thanks to God, our forces on the Al-Sayyad axis succeeded in opening the road to El Obeid and joining forces with the ‘Lions of the Camel Corps,'” Brigadier Nabil Abdallah, the Sudanese army spokesperson, said in a statement, officially declaring the end of the 22-month siege.

Army soldiers released video footage of the moment troops from White Nile state met with those inside El Obeid. The 5th Division commander welcomed the arriving soldiers at the city’s entrance.

El Obeid, Um Rawaba, and Al-Rahd residents celebrated the siege’s end.

The RSF siege caused a humanitarian crisis in El Obeid, with severe shortages of essential goods due to restrictions on aid and commercial convoys.

Since the outbreak of war on April 15, 2023, the RSF has sought to seize El Obeid, a strategically vital city linking Kordofan and Darfur states with the capital, Khartoum and central states.

The city’s airport is also sometimes used for military purposes. Despite intense fighting, the RSF failed to capture El Obeid due to the army’s staunch defence.

El Obeid, the North Kordofan capital, is now expected to become a key forward operating base for military operations in western Sudan, according to military leaders.