Shifting frontlines: Army and RSF clash over strategic West Kordofan towns

14 May 2025

The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) announced on Sunday that its forces and allied groups had retaken the town of Al-Khuwayyi in West Kordofan, reversing recent gains by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The development comes amid a broader escalation of violence in the Kordofan region, as both sides seek territorial advantage in Sudan’s grinding civil war.

The RSF had earlier claimed control over Al-Khuwayyi on 3 May, a day after it captured El Nahud—one of the most significant urban centres in West Kordofan. The towns lie along a critical corridor connecting central Sudan to the war-torn Darfur region in the west.

Ayin sources confirmed that a coalition—including the SAF, Joint Force of aligned armed groups, and other forces—had reclaimed Al-Khuwayyi. Residents welcomed the forces in social media footage, while other video clips showed RSF vehicle losses.

Minni Minawi, the governor of Darfur region and a key figure in the Pro-SAF alliance, confirmed the recapture of Al-Khuwayyi and the nearby town of Umm Sammaymah in North Kordofan stated on X that these victories “embody the meanings of pride and belonging,”

The SAF resumed offensive operations in Kordofan over the weekend, pushing westward from El Obeid, North Kordofan’s capital. Its stated objective is to advance toward North Darfur and break the RSF’s siege on El Fasher, the strategic capital of Darfur, which is pressured from months of sustained RSF attacks.

RSF counteroffensive reshapes the map

The SAF’s announcement comes amid a dramatic and fast-changing military landscape in the Kordofan region. Just days before the SAF’s counteroffensive, RSF fighters had rapidly expanded their presence, gaining control of El Nahud and Al-Khuwayyi and pressing further into North and South Kordofan. Analysts warn these shifts could usher in a prolonged and more destructive phase of the war.

According to Ayin field sources, the RSF’s seizure of El Nahud on 1 May was part of a pre-emptive strategy against the army’s “Al-Sayyad” convoy—a mobile force attempting to advance westward from El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State. After entering into RSF-controlled areas around Abu Zabad and Al-Fula, the convoy was met with fierce resistance, and the RSF launched a counterattack, seizing the 18th SAF Brigade headquarters in El Nahud and then Al-Khuwayyi.

A journalist specialising in the region told Ayin that controlling these two towns not only secures the RSF’s rearguard in Darfur but also threatens SAF positions in North Kordofan. “The RSF have disrupted the army’s supply routes and now hold the strategic advantage along the asphalt road linking central to western Sudan,” the source said.

Siege and encirclement 

With the loss of El Nahud and Al-Khuwayyi before recapturing it, SAF’s presence in West Kordofan has been reduced to just two areas: Babanusa, home to the 22nd Infantry Division, and Heglig, which hosts the vital 90th Brigade tasked with securing oil infrastructure. Both are now reportedly under siege, with RSF forces having cut off access routes, including those from South Kordofan.

A local community leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said RSF commanders are unlikely to attack Heglig militarily due to fears of damaging oil installations, as happened previously at the Balila oil field. Instead, they may offer safe withdrawal corridors to SAF forces in hopes of securing the facility intact.

However, the RSF did launch artillery strikes on the oil refinery in El Obeid, reportedly aiming to disrupt the SAF’s fuel supply and eliminate the SAF’s incentive to hold Heglig.

A brewing humanitarian crisis

The shifting control in West Kordofan is already prompting displacement. The U.N.’s migration agency said on Monday that more than 7,000 families have fled fighting in Al Nuhud and Al Khuway. Residents of El Obeid, fearing the approach of RSF forces, have also fled toward White Nile State. A local source confirmed to Ayin that the RSF has entrenched itself in nearby Bara and Jebal Issa, establishing large military bases with thousands of troops and heavy artillery to support operations against El Obeid.

Meanwhile, in South Kordofan, the situation is growing increasingly complex. The RSF has formed a battlefield alliance with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu. The two groups have launched coordinated attacks against SAF positions, capturing the strategic town of Umm Adara in April and pressing toward Kadugli, the state capital.

Last week, joint RSF-SPLM-N forces captured Al-Qawarir, a town west of Kadugli, forcing the army to retreat to nearby Barno, local residents told Ayin. Civilians from these areas have fled en masse toward Kadugli and beyond. Fighting has now reached Kega in eastern Kadugli, as clashes encroach on the city’s outskirts.

The army has managed to hold key positions in eastern South Kordofan, including towns like Dilling, Talodi, Abu Karshola, and Rashad, and recently regained control of the Jebel al-Dair region. But it has also conducted arrests of civilian volunteers in Kadugli and confiscated satellite internet equipment in surrounding localities, raising alarms over shrinking civil space and worsening access to information.

A long, grinding war 

Observers warn that unless a negotiated ceasefire is reached soon, the Kordofan region is headed for a protracted and costly war. Political activist Mohamed Saleh al-Mardi told Ayin that the region is poised for an “open-ended conflict”, particularly given the balance of power on both sides and the RSF’s ability to strike deep into army-held territory.

He observed that no side in Sudan’s wars has ever achieved a decisive military victory without eventually engaging in negotiations.

“The geography of Kordofan — its plains, valleys, and rugged terrain — makes any military resolution unlikely,” al-Mardi said. “What we are witnessing is the early stage of a long, grinding war with civilians paying the heaviest price.”