Sudanese Army Reinforces Military Efforts to Retake Kordofan and Darfur

Reinforcing Efforts to Reclaim Kordofan and Darfur

The Sudanese Armed Forces, aligned with the government, are renewing their efforts to recapture the regions of Kordofan and Darfur from the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as the civil war deepens into its third year. The Sudanese army has assessed the capabilities and resources of the RSF in preparation for launching the military operation, with a significant number of military formations ready to attack, according to SAF forces.

Any large-scale operation to liberate central Sudan's Kordofan and western Darfur would surpass the recapture of the capital, Khartoum, given the extensive planning that has occurred prior to the mission. Journalist Hiba Moran, reporting from Khartoum, stated: "We have noticed how the Sudanese army has reorganized and redeployed troops in various parts of the Kordofan region. We have also seen the Sudanese army reclaiming territories in Kordofan and conducting air and drone strikes against several RSF positions in Darfur and Kordofan."

On Friday, SAF reported significant losses inflicted upon the RSF during a series of aerial and ground operations carried out in Darfur and Kordofan. In a statement, the army claimed that its forces struck RSF positions, destroying approximately 240 combat vehicles and killing hundreds of fighters. Additionally, ground forces have successfully driven RSF fighters from extensive areas in Darfur and Kordofan, with operations continuing to track down remaining elements.

The Governor of Darfur, Minni Arko Minnawi, noted that SAF's recent military actions in Kordofan have prevented the RSF from besieging the capital of North Kordofan, El-Obeid. However, Morgan indicated that people on the ground in Kordofan remain uneasy about these assurances and seek more definitive action from SAF. "They want to be able to return home, with the RSF retreating from areas it has seized. So far, this is not happening," she emphasized.

Meanwhile, attacks persist. A drone strike by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, an ally of the RSF, killed five people on Monday in Habila, in South Kordofan state. The recent resurgence of the RSF in the vast regions of Darfur and Kordofan has led to the displacement of millions. Both sides have been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, with the RSF implicated in atrocities in Darfur that, according to the United Nations, could amount to genocide.

Recently, the UN described El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, as a "crime scene" after gaining access to the largely desolate city for the first time since RSF took control in October, marked by massive atrocities. International aid staff visited El-Fasher after weeks of negotiations, discovering few people remaining in what was once a densely populated city with a large displaced population. Over 100,000 residents fled El-Fasher after the RSF took control on October 26, following an 18-month siege.

Survivors have reported ethnic-driven mass killings and widespread detentions. Fierce fighting and global financial downturns have pushed over 33 million people toward famine, leading to one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world, as NGOs reported on Friday, with the war surpassing 1,000 days. The conflict has displaced 11 million people both internally and abroad, creating the largest displacement and hunger crisis in the world.

Prime Minister Kamil Idris announced on Sunday the government's return to Khartoum, after nearly three years of operating from its wartime capital, Port Sudan. In the early days of the civil war, which began in April 2023, the army-aligned government fled the capital, which was quickly overwhelmed by the RSF. The government has pursued a gradual return to Khartoum after the army regained control of the city.

"Today, we are returning, and the government of hope is back in the national capital," Idris told reporters on Sunday in Khartoum.