RSF reportedly seizes Bara in North Kordofan advance

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have reportedly seized control of the strategic city of Bara in North Kordofan state, just ten days after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) recaptured it, marking the paramilitary group’s third takeover of the city since the war erupted in April 2023.

RSF soldiers posted videos early in the morning today, purportedly showing their forces inside the city, as the group’s spokesperson confirmed the advance in a statement, describing it as part of a broader operational push towards “the rest of the strongholds and centres.” 

He claimed his forces had inflicted heavy casualties on the SAF and the El Bara Bin Malik Brigade, reportedly destroying dozens of vehicles and seizing large quantities of weapons and equipment.

Sources told Radio Dabanga that SAF troops subsequently withdrew towards El Obeid, the state capital some 40 kilometres to the south. Bara straddles a critical corridor linking western Sudan to the country’s centre, east, and north, making its fall a significant strategic blow to the SAF.

‘Third attack on Delling in a fortnight’

In South Kordofan, the SAF announced it had repelled a fresh RSF assault on Delling earlier today, launched alongside the RSF’s allied-forces, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N El Hilu). The attack is the third on the city in just two weeks, with sustained artillery shelling reportedly causing deaths, injuries, and the continued displacement of civilians.

‘Disputed claims’

Contradictory claims emerged from North Darfur, where the RSF announced full control of the Karnoi area stating that SAF and Joint Forces had withdrawn after suffering heavy losses.

However, Mutwakil Ali deputy spokesperson for the Joint Force, insisted troops had repelled an RSF attack on El Tina, the Chadian border town opposite Sudan’s North Darfur, following fierce clashes, and said joint forces would conduct combing operations across Karnoi. Both sides published videos purporting to support their respective accounts.

‘Drone strikes hit Kosti’

The RSF also struck military positions in Kosti, White Nile state, with two drone attacks on Monday, sources told Radio Dabanga. The strikes, one in the early hours and a second after the Maghrib prayer, triggered powerful explosions heard across the city, reportedly targeting the headquarters of the SAF’s 18th Brigade. Casualties and damage had yet to be confirmed at the time of publication.