Retreating RSF troops launch reprisal attacks on civilians in North Kordofan

July 29, 2026 (EL OBEID) – A large contingent of Rapid Support Forces retreating from Um Sayala, Jabrat al-Sheikh, and Bara launched retaliatory attacks against civilians in North Kordofan, local sources told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.

The raids targeted the towns and villages of Um Badr, Sodari, Abu Zaima, Hamrat al-Sheikh, and El Mazroub.

Retreating fighters looted local markets completely, raided residential homes, and arrested scores of residents under accusations of sharing coordinates with the Sudanese military, sources said.

The reprisal attacks coincided with a series of drone strikes, presumed to belong to the Sudanese army, targeting RSF convoys in Sodari, Um Badr, and El Mazroub.

Military sources told Sudan Tribune that the army aims to advance toward Sodari, the largest locality in North Kordofan, to reopen the desert route toward the Darfur region.

Sodari serves as a vital strategic corridor that the RSF previously used to transport military supplies and fighters between Darfur and Khartoum.

Meanwhile, the rights group Emergency Lawyers accused the RSF on Wednesday of committing widespread abuses against civilians across North Kordofan, forcing thousands of residents to flee.

The escalation follows the army and its allies regaining control of about five strategic areas in North Kordofan, including the critical export road linking Khartoum to Kordofan and Darfur.

The legal group said RSF troops attacked civilians and homes on Tuesday in the Al-Jamama area, west of North Kordofan, looting and destroying the local market, injuring dozens, and displacing numerous families.

The rights group noted that Al-Jamama remains under RSF control without active military clashes, warning that targeting civilians in non-combat zones constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law.