Sudanese army repels paramilitary RSF attack in North Kordofan

Adel Abdelrheem and Lina Altawell

The Sudanese army on Thursday repelled an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the Jabra al-Sheikh area in North Kordofan state, military sources said, as reports emerged of continuing clashes between the two sides in Blue Nile state.

Military sources, who spoke to Anadolu on condition of anonymity, said the RSF launched an attack Thursday morning on Jabra al-Sheikh and surrounding villages in North Kordofan.

“The army and allied forces repelled the attack and inflicted heavy losses in lives and equipment on the RSF,” they said.

The sources added that army forces are still pursuing RSF elements who allegedly fled the battlefield.

Members of the army-aligned Joint Force also broadcast video clips from Jabra al-Sheikh announcing victory over the attackers.

On July 26, the Sudanese army said it had taken control of the towns of Bara, Jabra al-Sheikh and Umm Sayyala in North Kordofan after battles with the RSF.

Sudan’s three Kordofan states, North, West and South, have witnessed clashes between the army and the RSF since October 2025.

In a related development, the RSF claimed on Thursday that it had seized control of the city of Kurmuk in Blue Nile state following battles with the army.

In a statement, the RSF described Kurmuk as a “strategic” city and claimed it had inflicted losses in lives and equipment on the army.

Kurmuk is one of the largest cities in Blue Nile state, along with the capital, Damazin. It lies near the Ethiopian border and is strategically important because it controls supply lines and military routes, as well as land routes extending toward Ethiopia and South Sudan.

On July 8, the Sudanese army said it had taken control of Kurmuk after nearly three months of RSF control, alongside the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, which is allied with the paramilitary force.

The Sudanese army controls large parts of Blue Nile state, while the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement has fought the government since 2011, demanding autonomy for South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

Since April 2023, the Sudanese army and the RSF have been fighting a war triggered by disputes over integrating the paramilitary force into the military.

The war has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced around 15 million people as internally displaced persons and refugees, according to the UN and local authorities, while a 2024 study by US universities estimated the death toll at around 130,000.