A new wave of attacks as the army seeks control of the Kordofan region

8 September 2025

Sudan’s national army and their opponents, the paramilitary  Rapid Support Forces have launched a new wave of military operations in the Kordofan region, with intense fighting and a massive mobilization of fighters from both sides, putting the region’s citizenry in further jeopardy. 

The army launched four simultaneous attacks on Sunday, 7 Septemeber, against the Rapid Support Forces’ positions.  

Two of the attacks targeted Rahid Al-Nuba, located on the asphalt road linking Omdurman to Bara, and the second on the Umm Sayala area east of the city of Bara. The town of Bara is located in a strategic location, linking Sudan’s sister capital city, Omdurman, to the capital of North Kordofan State, El Obeid. The third attack was on the areas of Al-Riyash and Kazgil on the road leading to South Kordofan State, while the fourth took place west of El-Obeid on the outskirts of the town of Abu Qaud, military sources told Ayin. 

Kazgil

According to the same sources, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) repelled the attack in the Rahid al-Nuba area, while the army was able to seize control of Kazgil and al-Riyash. However, the RSF launched a counterattack early Monday morning on Kazgil, and the area became a flashpoint for both sides, with neither side officially claiming control.

“Kazgil witnessed the fiercest fighting on Monday morning, with armed confrontations at close range following a counter-attack led by the Rapid Support Forces early in the morning,” one military source requesting anonymity told Ayin. During the clashes, the army managed to kill Makan Al-Sadig, a prominent RSF leader from West Kordofan State.

The army is keen to control the town, the Sudan War Monitor reported, since it would allow the army to target RSF supply lines running across South and West Kordofan. Kazigil has now changed hands three times in six months.

Lt.-Gen Shams El Din Kabbashi in El Obeid

These military engagements follow a visit by Deputy Army Commander Lt.-Gen Shams El Din Kabbashi to El Obeid late last week, during which he declared the continuation of the war until the RSF were eliminated. He refused to negotiate before that point, ordering his forces to advance into the Darfur region of western Sudan.

Kabashi’s announcement of a new round of war coincides with the army mobilising forces in the cities of Ad Duwaym, Omdurman, Umm Ruwaba, and Al Obeid –all in preparation for further conflict in the Kordofan area, another military source requesting anonymity told Ayin. 

The same source believes the army’s plan is to seize control of the towns of Bara, Jabrat al-Sheikh, and Raheed al-Nuba before advancing into West Kordofan.

In turn, the source said, the RSF are mobilising in the northwest desert as part of a plan to attack Northern State and Omdurman. At the end of last week, the RSF sent troops from South Darfur State, led by Commander Saleh al-Futi, to several field locations in Kordofan. After Shams El Din Kabashi arrived in El Obeid, the RSF released a statement, 

Since last May, fierce fighting has been raging in Kordofan. The Rapid Support Forces have managed to halt the army’s westward advance toward Darfur through conventional ground combat, where they plan to reach their besieged forces in El Fasher.

Chemical weapons allegations

With Shams El Din Kabashi’s arrival in El Obeid, the Rapid Support Forces issued a statement claiming, “The army intends to use chemical weapons in Kordofan, as it did in Al Jazeera, Khartoum, and Jebel Moya, after failing to advance militarily.” The army has consistently denied these accusations.

“The army and the Islamist brigades are devoid of morals, and they are planning to use chemical weapons in Kordofan, just as they did in Al-Jazeera and Khartoum,” says Omran Abdullah, the advisor to the RSF commander. “But we are prepared for all scenarios, and we have put in place the necessary precautions for our soldiers to confront this, as Kordofan is not like its predecessors,” he told Ayin. The advisor claims they made a tactical withdrawal from the Kordofan region but are now on course to “defeat them in Kordofan, which we will never abandon.”

According to military expert, Rtd. army officer Dr. Khalil Mohammed Al-Saim, the claims of chemical weapons is merely propaganda to garner support from the international community. “The Rapid Support Forces are in a defeated position. They are besieged by the armed forces in Kordofan, and they will be eliminated within days,” says Dr Khalil Mohammed. “All that remains for them is media propaganda and accusations against the army of using chemical weapons. These are false accusations that they want to exploit as a pretext for international intervention in our country.”

Mobilization and counter-mobilization herald another phase of war in Sudan, unfolding on an open stage in Kordofan, which the army is seeking to cross into Darfur. Meanwhile, the Rapid Support Forces are using the area as a defensive line for the Darfur region they control. 

This reality is accelerating the bone-breaking battle in the Sudanese conflict, placing Kordofan, whose population is already experiencing a devastating humanitarian crisis, on the brink of a full-scale catastrophe.