Sudan Conflict Sees SAF Capture Key Towns on Omdurman-El Obeid Road
In the Sudan conflict, the Sudanese Armed Forces have announced the capture of several towns along the Omdurman-El Obeid Export Road, a development that could influence supply lines in North Kordofan amid ongoing clashes with the Rapid Support Forces.
SAF Advances Along Omdurman-El Obeid Road
The Sudanese Armed Forces stated that they captured Umm Garfa along with Bara, Jabra El Sheikh and Um Sayala as part of operations across North Kordofan. [1] These actions were described as successful military operations that inflicted heavy losses on the Rapid Support Forces in personnel and equipment. [1] The SAF reported seizing 54 combat vehicles in working condition and destroying or burning more than 62 heavily armed vehicles. [1] Soldiers shared videos on social media showing SAF troops securing stretches of the export road, with damaged and abandoned military vehicles visible along the roadside. [1] The Centre for Information Resilience confirmed to The New Arab that Sudanese army forces were present in Bara, Umm Qarfa and Jabra al-Sheikh following the advance. [3] According to Nohad Eltayeb, Senior Research Assistant at ACLED, retaking the towns marks a turning point in the conflict by reopening a major road linking El-Obeid with Omdurman. [3] The Sudanese military said the RSF suffered heavy losses during the offensive, claiming 73 armoured vehicles were destroyed. [3]
Local Reports Dispute Road Reopening
Despite the army's announcement, local sources in El Obeid told Radio Dabanga that the export road remains closed. [1] They said clashes are continuing in several areas along the route and that the RSF still controls the Reihad El Nuba area, making civilian movement unsafe. [1] The reports contradict widespread claims circulating online that traffic had resumed between Omdurman and El Obeid. [1] El-Obeid, which had been under a partial RSF siege, has relied on a single supply corridor through neighbouring White Nile State that has repeatedly come under drone attack. [3] The road to Omdurman had remained under RSF control since the outbreak of the war, allowing the paramilitary group to restrict army movements and tighten pressure on the city. [3]
Map shows emergency situation in Chad with updated arrivals from Sudan as of 26 July 2026. — Source: reliefweb
Conflicting Claims From RSF and Allied Groups
Pro-RSF social media accounts reported that SAF figures, Maj Gen Wad Elamin El Daga, commander of Group 214 on the North Kordofan area of Reihad El Nuba axis, near the Khartoum State border, and a leader of the Revolutionary Awakening Council, and Maj Gen El Haj Hussein El Buss, commander of Group 142, were killed during fighting in the area. [1] Officials aligned with the RSF-aligned Sudan Founding Alliance (Tasees) also sought to project confidence despite the reported setbacks. [1] The Tasees Interior Minister Suleiman Sundal said the battles in North Kordofan demonstrated the determination of the alliance's forces. [1] Tasees Energy and Oil Minister El Basha Tebeig said RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo was personally overseeing operations and had dispatched reinforcements and military equipment to front-line positions. [1]
SAF Vows Continued Offensive Toward Darfur
SAF Assistant Commander-in-Chief Lt Gen Yasser El Atta said Sovereignty Council President and Commander-in-chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan had ordered forces to continue advancing towards Um Dafoug locality in South Darfur. [1] El Atta said military operations would continue until all areas under RSF control had been recaptured. [1] Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi also claimed that joint forces destroyed eight RSF military units in North Kordofan over the past two days, describing the recent fighting as "the beginning of the end" for the RSF. [1] Sudanese army sources also told The New Arab that clearing operations were continuing across the newly captured territory. [3] The advance also positions the SAF to push west toward West Kordofan, pressuring the RSF to retreat to Darfur. [3]
Sudanese Armed Forces troops secure captured stretch of Omdurman-El Obeid road in North Kordofan. — Source: reliefweb
Civilian Impact and Infrastructure Damage
The Sudan Doctors Network reported extensive destruction at Jabra El Sheikh Hospital after the town recently came under SAF control. [1] The network cited videos showing widespread vandalism and looting inside medical departments. [1] It said the RSF had previously used the hospital as a military operations headquarters, leaving the facility completely out of service and depriving thousands of residents of healthcare. [1] The RSF launched another drone attack on El Obeid at around midday on Sunday, according to local sources. [1] Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that drones struck several locations across the city shortly after noon. [1] In North Kordofan State, local sources report that 15 civilians were killed and seven others injured on Friday in an attack south of El Obeid. [2] Across the Darfur region, partners on the ground report that insecurity and intercommunal violence have recently displaced more than 20,000 people, with many in urgent need of support. [2]
Humanitarian Situation and Cholera Outbreak
OCHA warns that ongoing conflict, displacement and disease outbreaks continue to drive humanitarian needs across Sudan. [2] Cholera is also spreading in Sudan, with more than 2,000 suspected cases and 170 reported deaths since May – mainly in the Kordofan region. [2] Despite the challenges, humanitarian organizations are delivering life-saving assistance wherever and whenever possible. [2] The UN and its humanitarian partners continue scaling up the cholera response, supporting nearly 80 surveillance sites, 16 treatment centres, eight oral rehydration points, and prevention activities for more than 270,000 people in the affected areas. [2] This year’s humanitarian appeal for Sudan is about 40 per cent funded, with US$1.1 billion received against the nearly $2.9 billion required. [2] OCHA once again calls on all parties to protect civilians, and to facilitate rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access. [2]
What to watch next: SAF statements indicate forces will continue advancing to Um Dafoug until all RSF-controlled areas are recaptured, while OCHA continues to urge donors to commit additional funding amid the cholera response.
