Inside Kordofan: The Critical Battlefield Shaping Sudan's Protracted War

Fighting in Sudan’s Kordofan region has intensified significantly since late 2025, cementing its status as a primary battleground in the ongoing war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), now entering its fourth year. Spanning North, West, and South Kordofan states, this vast territory bridges the army-controlled central region and the RSF-held Darfur in the west.

In recent months, the SAF has worked to push the RSF out of large portions of North Kordofan, shifting tactics toward aerial combat. Growing drone strikes continue to target towns and civilian infrastructure across the area. Since the conflict began in April 2023, one out of every five recorded attacks in Sudan has occurred within Kordofan.

Geographically, Sudan remains heavily divided. The SAF maintains control over Khartoum and the majority of the northern, eastern, and central territories, while the RSF dominates the west, including almost all of Darfur and portions of Kordofan. Additionally, smaller factions like the RSF-allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) hold isolated pockets in the south.

According to data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) independent monitor, 14,648 attacks were recorded between April 15, 2023, and September 19, 2026. Khartoum suffered the highest volume with 5,719 attacks (39 percent), followed by North Darfur with 1,999 attacks (13.7 percent), Gezira state with 1,435 attacks (9.8 percent), and the collective Kordofan states with 2,876 attacks (19.7 percent).

While the SAF accounted for 52 percent of overall recorded attacks during this timeframe compared to the RSF's 34.7 percent, the dynamics have continuously evolved. Following the fall of el-Fasher in October 2025, focus shifted decisively onto Kordofan's corridor, which recorded 2,717 attacks across its three primary states—1,205 in North Kordofan, 789 in South Kordofan, and 723 in West Kordofan—along with 16 attacks in the disputed oil-rich region of Abyei.

Key urban hubs like el-Obeid in North Kordofan's Sheikan locality have experienced devastating impacts, including drone strikes on educational institutions as noted by local officials like Abdel Aziz al-Sheikh and impacted students such as Omnia Aboul Gassim and Omnia Aboul Gassim's peers. Meanwhile, South Kordofan and West Kordofan localities continue to register thousands of casualties and widespread displacement.

According to United Nations and International Organization for Migration (IOM) figures, approximately 8.6 million people remain internally displaced across Sudan. In Kordofan specifically, newly displaced populations surged by 65 percent between February and late June, with IOM Director General Amy Pope warning of mounting humanitarian threats facing vulnerable cities like el-Obeid.