Fierce clashes in South Kordofan as ‘RSF seizes key town’

Clashes in South Kordofan have intensified sharply since the start of the week, with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces announcing that it had seized El Kuweik, north of Kadugli. RSF fighters circulated videos from inside the area, claiming the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) had retreated into Kadugli after fierce confrontations. By taking control of El Kuweik, the RSF has effectively cut the road between Delling and Kadugli, tightening the siege on the state capital.

SAF soldiers responded with their own footage, saying they had recaptured El Kuweik. In a related development, military sources said SAF units and allied forces had also retaken El Takma, between Habila and Delling, days after the RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North claimed control.

Sources added that RSF and their allied-forces, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N El Hilu), have their fighters deployed along the Habila–Delling road, effectively reimposing a siege on Delling. On Sunday, the RSF and SPLM-N launched a three-pronged assault on the town, which the army said it repelled after hours of fighting.

Drone campaign intensifies in El Obeid

In North Kordofan, the RSF escalated its drone campaign against El Obeid for the fourth consecutive day. At dawn, drones struck the city’s main power substation, sparking a fire and plunging El Obeid into a complete blackout.

On Sunday evening, drones targeted a hospital and several military and strategic sites. Military sources told Radio Dabanga that the strikes hit the Joint Security Cell headquarters, the 5th Infantry Division command, and a nearby residential house. A woman inside the house was injured. The extent of losses at the military sites remains unclear.

The attack on a hospital destroyed the surgery and dental departments as well as inpatient wards, rendering significant sections of the facility inoperable and causing extensive structural damage. The Sudanese Doctors Network reported that 12 people were injured, including five members of medical staff.

UN alarm over widening crisis

The United Nations voiced grave concern over escalating violence in Kordofan and Blue Nile states. Spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the UN Stéphane Dujarric cited yesterday, local reports of increased drone attacks in El Obeid since Friday and continuing clashes in and around Delling. Fighting along key supply routes is disrupting trade and hampering humanitarian operations.

In Blue Nile state, the town of Kurmuk has endured intense drone strikes over the past two weeks. A school has reportedly been destroyed and a power station damaged. By Saturday, around 1,000 families had fled to Ed Damazin.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs described conditions as dire. A recent visit to Ed Da’ein Hospital in East Darfur found the facility, which handles up to 200 outpatients and 15 caesarean deliveries daily, facing critical funding shortages.

The UN called on all parties to protect civilians, ensure safe humanitarian access, and comply with international law, warning that without sustained and flexible funding, lifesaving services risk further collapse.