KHARTOUM – Darfur Region Governor Minni Arko Minnawi said eight military units affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had been “completely destroyed” over the past two days during battles in North Kordofan, crediting what he described as well-executed encirclement maneuvers and precision strikes carried out by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the Joint Force of the Armed Movements, and the Popular Resistance.
In a post on social media, Minnawi said the military operations coincided with the recapture of five areas and the reopening of the strategic Export Road linking North Kordofan State with the capital, Khartoum, describing the developments as “the beginning of the militia’s collapse.”
He said the recapture of additional areas brings Sudan closer to restoring security and stability, adding that forces fighting alongside the army would continue their operations until the country is “completely cleared of the rebellion.”
Minnawi’s remarks came after the SAF, the Joint Force and allied military formations announced that they had recaptured several areas in North Kordofan and reopened the strategic Export Road linking Omdurman and El Obeid following large-scale military operations that began on Saturday.
The forces also announced the destruction and capture of dozens of RSF combat vehicles, the killing of a number of the group’s field commanders and the seizure of large quantities of weapons and ammunition. The RSF has not immediately commented on the claims, which Sudan Now could not independently verify.
The latest advances represent one of the Sudanese military’s most significant gains in North Kordofan in recent months. Earlier, the SAF announced it had regained control of Bara, Umm Sayala, Umm Garfa, Umm Dam Haj Ahmed, Jabra Al-Sheikh, and Al-Baraka, saying the operations had restored government control over key sections of the Export Road.
The Export Road is one of Sudan’s most important transport corridors, connecting Khartoum with Kordofan and Darfur. The route has remained heavily contested throughout the conflict because it serves as a critical artery for civilian trade, humanitarian access and military logistics between central and western Sudan.
Since the Sudanese military regained control of Khartoum earlier this year, it has shifted much of its operational focus toward Kordofan and Darfur, where fighting with the RSF remains intense. Military operations in North Kordofan have accelerated in recent weeks as government forces seek to reopen strategic roads, secure supply lines and increase pressure on RSF positions ahead of broader operations in western Sudan.
The conflict between the SAF and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023, has killed thousands of people, displaced millions and triggered what the United Nations describes as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
