EL OBEID – Sudan’s army and allied forces reported fresh territorial gains in North Kordofan on Thursday as fighting pushed toward West Kordofan, while the Rapid Support Forces said it had retaken the strategic Bakori area in Blue Nile, highlighting simultaneous shifts on two major fronts of the war.

Military sources said the army and allied forces regained Kazgeil and Abu Qaoud, about 45 kilometres south of El Obeid, after clashes with the RSF.

The Special Support Forces, known as Al-Baraa bin Malik, separately said operations had also covered Al-Hashaba, Al-Hamadi, Al-Ayara and Umm Somaima.

The claims regarding all of the areas could not be independently verified.

The Joint Force said its fighters inflicted losses on the RSF, seized combat vehicles and captured a commander during operations in North Kordofan. It did not provide independently verifiable casualty figures.

The advances follow months of army operations across North Kordofan, including earlier gains around Bara, Jabra Al-Sheikh, Umm Sayala, Sodari and Al-Mazroub.

The fighting has increasingly shifted westward toward routes leading to Al-Khuwei and Al-Nahud, where control of roads is important for military movement between Kordofan and Darfur.

Army Says FH-95 Drone Downed Near Al-Khuwei

The Sudanese Armed Forces also said Thursday that its air defences shot down what it described as a hostile FH-95 drone south of Al-Khuwei in West Kordofan.

The army did not identify the operator of the aircraft or disclose its intended target.

Sudanese forces have announced several interceptions of FH-95 drones over Kordofan in recent months as unmanned aircraft become increasingly prominent in operations across the region.

The Chinese-made FH-95 is used for reconnaissance, surveillance and electronic warfare missions and is capable of extended flight.

RSF Says It Retook Bakori

In Blue Nile, the RSF-led Sudan Founding Alliance, or Tasis, said Thursday it had regained control of Bakori in Geisan locality after renewed fighting with the army.

Bakori lies roughly 70 kilometres southeast of Ed Damazin and hosts the headquarters of the Sudanese army’s 13th Infantry Brigade.

The area has changed hands repeatedly.

The RSF and allied forces initially announced control of Bakori in August before the army said it had retaken the area in October.

The latest RSF statement said its forces seized vehicles, weapons and other military equipment during Thursday’s fighting.

The army had not issued an immediate statement confirming the loss of Bakori.

Tasis forces have also reported advances in other parts of Blue Nile, including Al-Keili, while the army has continued air and artillery strikes against RSF and allied SPLM-N forces in the region.

The competing claims illustrate the fluid nature of the Blue Nile front, where control of settlements and military positions has shifted repeatedly in recent weeks.

Blue Nile borders Ethiopia and South Sudan and contains strategic roads linking Ed Damazin with Geisan and Al-Kurmuk, making control of the southern and eastern approaches militarily significant.

The latest developments show the conflict intensifying simultaneously across Kordofan and Blue Nile, with army forces pushing westward from North Kordofan while the RSF and its allies attempt to regain and expand positions in the southeast.

Independent access to several frontline areas remains limited, making battlefield claims from both sides difficult to verify.