Al-Rahmaniya displacement camp, near the city of El Obeid in South Kordofan. AFP
The General Command of the Sudanese Armed Forces stated on Sunday that its forces and allied units “managed to liberate the three cities by force and with determination following well-planned military operations,” adding that RSF rebels had withdrawn from the recaptured areas, leaving behind weapons and military vehicles.
Bara, the second-largest city in North Kordofan, is located about 45 kilometres east of El Obeid. It holds strategic importance after changing hands several times during the war between the army and the RSF militia.
Jabra al-Sheikh is a key stop along the export route and a vital market for crops and livestock, as well as an urban centre surrounded by pastoralist and nomadic communities in the region.
Umm Sayala is located near the export road linking North Kordofan with Omdurman, providing the army with a new supply route to El Obeid and reducing the risks of attacks on White Nile and Khartoum states.
North Kordofan has become one of the most important battlefronts in Sudan’s war due to its location connecting central Sudan with the Darfur region through a network of land routes. The state also serves as a strategic gateway to El Obeid, which remains under army control.
Following the Sudanese army’s announcement that it had taken control of Umm Sayala, residents of the area told the BBC radio programme “For Sudan Peace” about their joy and hopes of returning home after months of displacement.
“Praise be to God for the safety of our small homeland, which has returned to the embrace of the larger homeland. All roads will reopen, and all of Kordofan will return,” one resident said.
Speaking about the impact of the war on civilians, he added, “As for the suffering of the people, we endured hardship in daily life and long distances, and there are people who have lost a great deal.”
“Congratulations on the liberation... this is a joy beyond words,” said another resident, expressing his happiness over the “liberation of the area”.
“We are farmers, and we cannot accept the idea of displacement or leaving our land. God willing, everyone will return to their homes,” he added.
In recent months, the Sudanese army has intensified its military operations in northern and eastern Kordofan, targeting areas held by the RSF as part of efforts to retake territory controlled by the paramilitary group and secure supply lines to El Obeid and Khartoum.
Darfur Governor Mini Minnawi, who is allied with the army, said in a statement following the announcement by the joint forces that “what was achieved today is not the end of the battle, but rather the beginning of a new phase of decisive action.”
The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in April 2023, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing millions in what the United Nations has described as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
The RSF has besieged El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, and intensified its air attacks, while the United Nations and humanitarian organizations have warned of an imminent offensive similar to the one in El Fasher late last year, which United Nations (UN) experts said bore the hallmarks of “genocide.”
On the humanitarian front, the United Nations has warned of worsening conditions in El Obeid as the number of displaced people arriving at shelters continues to rise, amid fears of a repeat of atrocities witnessed in other parts of the country.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said the city’s population has nearly doubled due to an influx of displaced people from across the Kordofan states, while basic needs continue to exceed humanitarian response capacity.
WFP Sudan Director Abdullah al-Wardat said after a visit to El Obeid that the city was facing increasing pressure to provide food, water and fuel. He explained that the population, previously estimated at between 500,000 and 600,000 people, had grown significantly due to waves of internal displacement.
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