The Sudanese army announced that it had taken control of the Sodiri area in North Kordofan state after fighting with the Rapid Support Forces, as it intensified military operations in areas west of El Obeid, the state capital, as part of moves aimed at expanding its deployment along routes leading to West Kordofan and North Darfur.
Armed forces announce retaking Sodiri
The Sudanese Armed Forces said in a statement issued on Friday 25 September 2026 that their forces had retaken Sodiri after what they described as heavy fighting, claiming to have inflicted losses in personnel and equipment on the Rapid Support Forces. The armed forces did not provide detailed figures for the losses they said occurred during the clashes.
The announcement of control over Sodiri followed ground operations and air strikes along the Sodiri and Al-Mazroub axes, as well as movements by special operations units in western areas of North Kordofan. Military sources said that during these operations, Sudanese forces sought to remove defensive positions belonging to the Rapid Support Forces and secure their routes of movement westwards across the state.
The army had announced on 17 September that it had taken control of 11 areas in North Kordofan: Kajmar, Shirshar, Al-Baniya Al-Kariniya, Al-Qulai'at, Oulad Hazma, Maqoulat, Rishan, Al-Qa'a, Ghabat Al-Laqd, Al-Kokaiti and the area surrounding Al-Mazroub. In its statement at the time, it added that its forces had carried out clearing operations in areas west of El Obeid.
Army sources reported during the same period that forces had taken control of the Al-Mamsouka area, located about 60 kilometres west of El Obeid, after clashes with the Rapid Support Forces. The army also announced earlier in September that it had taken control of the town of Hamra Al-Waz in Jabra Al-Sheikh locality, following advances in Bara, Jabra Al-Sheikh and Umm Siaya in previous months.
Expansion of operations and control of new areas
On 24 September, the army spokesman announced that a drone he said belonged to the Rapid Support Forces had been shot down north-east of Al-Kokaiti. The army said the operation was part of efforts to counter attacks carried out by the Rapid Support Forces in the state, which has seen increasing use of drones by both sides of the war. The escalation on the ground coincided with civilian casualties in reciprocal attacks.
The North Kordofan state government said that two people were killed and about 20 others injured on Friday in a drone attack it attributed to the Rapid Support Forces, targeting a shelter for displaced people and electricity stations in El Obeid.
In a competing account, the Sudan Founding Alliance, which is allied with the Rapid Support Forces, said that nine people had been killed and 24 others injured in a drone strike it attributed to the Sudanese army and which targeted the Al-Mazroub area in North Kordofan. The alliance condemned the attack, saying it constituted a violation of international humanitarian law rules concerning the protection of civilians during armed conflicts.
Civilian casualties and displacement as attacks escalate
The Hamrat Al-Sheikh area saw civilian displacement after groups affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces arrived from the Darfur region to reinforce their positions west of Sodiri and Al-Mazroub, according to local sources. The sources also attributed looting at a market in the Umm Badr area to combat groups that arrived in the area as part of the military reinforcements.
Military sources say operations in western North Kordofan aim to secure the state's western strip and open routes towards West Kordofan and North Darfur. The Sodiri and Al-Mazroub axes are important for the movement of forces and supplies between Kordofan and Darfur, making them a theatre of ongoing battles, air strikes and drone attacks. These developments come amid the continuing war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023.
