WED 29 JUL - The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have taken control of a strategic road linking capital Khartoum with El Obeid, opening a key supply route for the first time since the start of the war and delivering a major setback to reported attempts by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to bring the city under siege.
Towns along the Export Road, a 400km highway running north from El Obeid through the Bara region, fell to SAF following an offensive that began on Saturday.
In statements on social media, SAF claimed to have taken control of Bara city as well as the towns of Umm Girfa, Jabrat al-Sheikh, and Umm Sayalla, which all sit on or close to the road.
The RSF has been able to maintain control of much of the road between Bara and Khartoum since the early months of the war, despite several attempted offensives by SAF, Sudan War Monitor reports.
In the last year, SAF has twice captured Bara from the RSF - once for around six weeks in September 2025 and once for less than two weeks in March 2026 - but during neither spell was it able to secure the Export Road.
Keeping control of the road would significantly improve supply links between El Obeid and Khartoum and better enable SAF to defend the capital from any future assault.
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The offensive follows months of concern for civilians in El Obeid - the capital of North Kordofan - amid drone strikes that have caused water shortages, power cuts, price spikes, and what the UN has described as “siege-like” conditions.
Previously, the RSF - along with the allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) - controlled the territory to the north, south, and west of El Obeid and frequently carried out drone strikes on the road leading east, hampering SAF supplies and keeping the city under a partial siege.
The only way to get to Khartoum, as well as neighbouring Omdurman, was to travel along the eastern road to the city of Kosti and then turn north, a route more than half as long again as the Export Road.
It remains unclear how open the highway now is to civilian and military traffic or how strong SAF’s hold over the surrounding areas will prove to be.
Many of the smaller roads branching off the highway are narrow and unpaved, according to Sudan War Monitor, potentially making it easier for the smaller units of the RSF to traverse the surrounding areas and harder for SAF formations to pursue them following attacks.
On Tuesday, the RSF carried out an attack in Al-Jamama, an area northwest of Bara already under its control, assaulting civilians and looting the local market, according to the Emergency Lawyers human rights group.
Speaking to Avaaz, Ehsan, a displaced woman from South Kordofan currently living in a camp in El Obeid, said the SAF gains had alleviated fears of RSF attacks on the city, but that civilians still faced the threat of drone strikes as well as harassment from the security services.
“Even though the RSF is no longer close to the city, the army and other security forces often suspect everyone,” she said. “Displaced people are often treated with suspicion and looked down on.
“The camps are raided from time to time, with people arrested on accusations of cooperating with the RSF or sharing coordinates for drone strikes on the city. Security forces also search people's phones, creating an atmosphere of constant fear.
“Sometimes people are questioned for hours, and other times they are arrested without warning. The displacement camps do not feel safe.”
Over the past six months, Avaaz has gathered testimony alleging torture and other human right abuses in SAF detention in North Kordofan that will be published in an upcoming report.
El Obeid and the surrounding area, estimated to be hosting up to a million displaced people, has long been the target of frequent drone strikes.
Early on Monday, following the SAF gains, strikes believed to have been carried out by the RSF hit two municipal buildings in the city, according to reports.
“We were terrified during the past months, and we still are,” said Ehsan.
“We hope there will be no more drone strikes because the chances of surviving an attack are very small. Hospitals are far away, treatment is expensive, and we simply cannot afford it.”
She added that humanitarian conditions in El Obeid remained “extremely difficult”, particularly for displaced people.
“We have no source of income at all,” she said. “Many of the men and older boys have left for remote areas to work in artisanal gold mining in northern Sudan and other parts of Kordofan, because there are no jobs and not enough food here.
“Children are working in the markets, selling plastic bags, carrying heavy sacks, and delivering goods by bicycle. They are doing difficult work just so our families can afford something to eat.
“Some people have returned from El Obeid to our villages to see whether they can work during the gum arabic season, even though the RSF remains present in those areas.
“All we want is to return home and live in safety, with enough food for our families. We have suffered for the past three years, and that suffering continues today.”
Last week, the UN said that, amid water shortages, women going out in search of water in El Obeid face the risk of drone strikes during the day and sexual violence if they wait until nightfall.
On Monday, following the loss of the Export Road, RSF leader Mohammed “Hemedti” Dagalo, said in a video address that the group was in a “fight for survival” and that he would enact a number of reforms.
“Thank you for the sacrifices and bravery you have shown in the day and night battles. You have not fallen short. But I ask you to completely change your strategy,” he said.
“From today, I have released the reins. I no longer hold the reins. We are with you on the front lines. The battle is not over yet.”
The changes could mean field commanders will be given more autonomy to launch offensives without waiting for orders from RSF leadership, according to Sudan Tribune.
Hemedti said his forces should “protect civilians and respect the agreed rules of war” and that “every commander is responsible for their soldiers and their forces”.
“From now on, follow the rules,” he said.
Throughout the war, the RSF has been accused of widespread atrocities against civilians, including arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence, and summary executions.
Much of this conduct has been captured in footage filmed and posted online by the perpetrators themselves, a practice Hemedti called on his fighters to stop.
“Only the person specifically assigned to filming is allowed to record battles,” he said. “Otherwise, you are giving the enemy free intelligence.”
The weekly dispatch features the latest developments, first-hand testimony, footage, photos, stats and analysis on Sudan. We can connect you with voices from the ground, experts, and survivors of the war. Get in touch on +44 7514 796 678 or sudan@avaaz.org.
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The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have taken control of a strategic road linking capital Khartoum with El Obeid, opening a key supply route for the first time since the start of the war and delivering a major setback to reported attempts by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to bring the city under siege.
At least 22 civilians have been killed in attacks believed to have been carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in a strategic town in North Kordofan, according to reports.
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