Sudanese army seizes strategic area in South Kordofan

May 23, 2025 (EL OBEID) – The Sudanese army said on Friday it had seized control of the strategic Dibeibat area in South Kordofan, following battles against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The move brings the army closer to ending the siege of Deling, the state’s second-largest city.

Dibeibat, the administrative centre of Al-Goz locality, is a militarily strategic area within the Kordofan region. It hosts the “Tayba Triangle,” a critical crossroads connecting the three Kordofan states. This junction leads south to Deling and Kadugli, west to the cities of Abu Zabad, Al-Fula, and Babanusa, and north to El Obeid.

In a press statement, Sudanese army spokesperson Nabil Abdallah said their forces had “crushed the enemy” in Dibeibat and established full control.

Ahmed Hussein Mustafa, spokesperson for the Joint Force, stated that the liberation of Dibeibat was the result of a precise and coordinated military operation carried out by the Joint Force alongside the Sudanese army. He added that the RSF suffered heavy losses in lives and equipment.

Mustafa described the full control of Dibeibat as a “decisive step” towards restoring security and stability in the Kordofan region and a “central step” for expanding military operations into the Darfur region.

The military operations in southern Kordofan coincide with another push in the western part of the region, aiming to reach Darfur and end the siege of El Fasher.

On May 1, the RSF seized Al-Nuhud, the administrative capital of West Kordofan state, along with Al-Khawi locality. However, the army and its allies recaptured Al-Khawi on May 11 and advanced westward.