Sudan army says it repels SPLM-N attack, battles paramilitary RSF in Kordofan

June 17, 2025 (KADUGLI) – Sudan’s army said on Tuesday it had repelled an attack by a rebel group in South Kordofan state, while separate clashes with paramilitary forces continued for a second day in neighbouring West Kordofan.

The fighting in South Kordofan took place on the strategic road connecting the state capital, Kadugli, with the city of Dilling. The army had reopened the route in February after fighting to push back the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), a rebel group led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu.

Army spokesperson Brigadier General Nabil Abdallah said in a statement that forces from the 14th Infantry Division in Kadugli had repelled the SPLM-N attack. He stated that the attacking force had been destroyed and that the army had seized weapons, combat vehicles, and three tanks.

The broader conflict in the region, involving the army, the SPLM-N, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has led to a severe humanitarian crisis in South Kordofan’s main cities, with reports of famine due to critical shortages of food and medicine.

In the city of Babanusa in West Kordofan, military sources said clashes between the army and the RSF entered their second day.

The sources said the RSF brought in reinforcements on Monday evening before launching an attack at dawn on Tuesday, accompanied by heavy artillery and aerial bombardment. Army units in northern and eastern Babanusa repelled the attack and destroyed several RSF combat vehicles, the sources added.

The RSF on Monday resumed a major military operation to try to capture the army’s headquarters in West Kordofan after a pause of more than a year.

The RSF controls most of West Kordofan, including its capital El-Fula, while the army holds Babanusa and some oil fields in the Heglig region.