Sudan army says it recaptured 11 areas in North Kordofan advance
September 17, 2026 (EL OBEID) — The Sudanese army said on Thursday it had retaken 11 areas in North Kordofan state following fierce battles against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
A spokesperson for the Sudanese Armed Forces general command said in a statement that government troops and allied forces recaptured “Kajmar, Sharshar, Al-Baniyah Al-Kurayniyah, Al-Qulay’at, Awlad Hazmah, Magwildat, Rayshan, Al-Qaa, Ghabat Al-Laqad, Al-Kukaiti, and the area surrounding Al-Mazrub.”
The spokesperson said army operations inflicted heavy losses on the RSF, adding that troops pursued retreating fighters toward the borders of Darfur and conducted sweep operations across areas west of the state capital, El Obeid.
The military push follows weeks of drone strikes targeting RSF positions along the Forty Days Road, a desert route connecting Kordofan with Darfur.
The spokesperson said military operations would continue steadily until state authority was restored, civilians were protected, and paramilitary forces were cleared from the areas.
The RSF did not immediately respond to the military’s claims.
Sudan Tribune could not independently verify the battlefield account.
Darfur regional governor Minni Minawi, whose Joint Force factions fight alongside the military, praised the territorial advance in a post on the social media platform X.
The military seized control of Bara, Jabrat al-Sheikh, and other transit locations in late June, pushing RSF units west toward Sodari locality.
Military sources said the assault launched early Thursday across western North Kordofan targeted RSF positions bordering Sodari, Umm Badr, and Hamrat al-Sheikh.
Footage circulated on pro-army social media channels showed soldiers deploying in newly contested zones alongside damaged military vehicles.
Military sources said drone strikes began on Wednesday across North and West Kordofan to disrupt RSF reinforcement lines arriving from the west.
The military advance along the Forty Days Road aims to open an axis toward Darfur, after the RSF used the corridor earlier in the conflict to transfer fighters and equipment east toward Khartoum.