The Sudanese army and the Joint Force of Armed Movements took control on Friday of the strategic city of Sudri in North Kordofan after fierce battles with the Rapid Support Forces, ending the latter’s more than two-year control of the city. Military and political figures said the development could affect supply lines and the course of operations towards cities in Kordofan and the Darfur region.
Sudri links operations in Kordofan and Darfur
Sudri is geographically and militarily important because it is North Kordofan’s largest locality by area and lies in the far north-west of the state. The locality borders North Darfur to the west and the localities of Al-Nuhud and Wad Banda to the south, making it a connecting point between the theatres of operations in Kordofan and Darfur.
Military expert Major General Osman Siraj described the takeover of Sudri as a “major strategic achievement”, saying it strengthened the depth of the armed forces’ deployment as they seek to carry out a complete encirclement of the Al-Khوي and Al-Nuhud areas. Siraj said the armed forces had added a geographical dimension to their manoeuvring capability, while reducing the Rapid Support Forces’ opportunities to move within North Kordofan.
He added that the new control had given the army wide areas that could be used to run supply chains more effectively during future operations. The military expert predicted that the armed forces would expand their operations to recapture Al-Khوي and Al-Nuhud, then continue advancing towards Darfur.
He said the loss of Sudri could have a psychological impact within the Rapid Support Forces and might, in his assessment, lead to defections or a decline in command and control in the coming days. Siraj said the armed forces now had an opportunity to capitalise on their gains on the ground, while claiming that their opponent was distracted by what he described as a foothold it had found in neighbouring Ethiopia.
Joint Force outlines importance of El Fasher axis
For his part, Major Mutawakkil Ali Wakil Abuja, the Joint Force’s official spokesman, said Sudri’s importance lay in its role as a gateway for advancing towards El Fasher in Darfur, as well as its position on a north-western axis that forms a key link leading to the city.
Abuja explained that control of Sudri enabled the supply lines coming from the western border and areas of North Darfur to be controlled, while also providing a launch point, staging area and forward position for military operations. He said the Sudri area and its surroundings had been secured as army forces continued their advance on the ground.
He added that operations were continuing to pursue those who remained, whom he described as “militia elements”, noting that the ongoing movements formed part of operations aimed at expanding control and securing the axes and areas retaken by government forces.
Support for expanding control on the ground
Amin Ishaq Zakaria Ahmed, the official spokesman for the Sudan Liberation Army–Transitional Council Movement, said: “The liberation of Sudri represents a new link in the chain of victories achieved by the armed forces, the Joint Force and the popular resistance.” Ahmed added that the developments confirmed, in his assessment, that the route to Darfur was now more open than ever.
He reaffirmed the movement’s commitment to continuing joint work with the armed forces and the Joint Force until control over all areas of Darfur had been restored. Political activist Abdel Qader Yahya Qadoura, meanwhile, said the takeover of Sudri should not be viewed as an isolated military event, but as part of a broader strategy aimed at encircling the Rapid Support Forces in Darfur.
Qadoura explained that Sudri had served as a logistical depth for the Rapid Support Forces in Kordofan, with supplies departing from there for El Fasher and other cities in Darfur. He said the city’s loss had left the Rapid Support Forces in the region “like an isolated island”, pending the cutting of what remained of their supply lines.
Qadoura stressed that military control of Sudri must be accompanied by an urgent humanitarian response, noting that thousands of displaced people in surrounding areas were suffering severe shortages of food and medicine. Sudri’s importance is not limited to its military position: it is known for its large livestock wealth and is also considered a promising mining area.
The displaced people were distributed between the Shikan locality in North Kordofan and the city of Omdurman, west of the capital Khartoum. Local reports also spoke of similar waves of displacement from the Hamrat al-Sheikh area in the northern part of the state, with some residents heading to El Obeid and Northern State.
These population movements come amid a wider displacement crisis since the conflict in Sudan broke out in April 2023. United Nations data indicate that more than 14 million people have been displaced, while about 28 million people face the risk of acute hunger.
The International Organization for Migration estimates that about 4 million people have returned to their areas of origin, but they face what it described as a “new battle for survival” because of the destruction affecting infrastructure and services. The Rapid Support Forces had not responded to a request for comment on the loss of Sudri or the conditions of civilians in areas still under their control by the time the report was published.
