Sudan army chief orders troops to clear country to Central African Republic border

July 26, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has ordered military forces to launch a sweeping offensive to clear the entire country up to the border with the Central African Republic, a senior military officer announced on Sunday.

The directive follows a swift ground operation launched on Saturday across North Kordofan, which allowed the army to secure the vital Omdurman-Bara Export road and expel the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from Bara, Jabrat Al-Sheikh, and Um Sayala.

Speaking to troops and supporters at the Military Medical Hospital in Omdurman, Assistant Commander-in-Chief Yasir al-Atta said army forces and allied groups had high morale and would advance in successive waves toward Um Dafuq on the southwestern border.

Al-Atta gave RSF fighters and foreign mercenaries a choice between surrendering or fleeing the country, pledging that the military would dismantle all RSF positions and eliminate foreign fighters.

The army and its allies aim to secure North and West Kordofan states before pushing into Darfur, where the RSF currently controls vast territories.

Fierce clashes are expected in the desert reaches along the border between North Kordofan and Northern State, where both sides have gathered massive reinforcements.