Sudanese Army Advances Against RSF Amid Ongoing Civil War

Sudan’s army has made notable gains in the war against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary in recent weeks as it tries to gain the upper hand in the three-and-a-half-year war that has ravaged one of the poorest countries in the world. The Sudanese armed forces (SAF) on Friday said its soldiers captured the town of al-Mazroub after fierce fighting.

The town is one of the RSF’s most important positions in North Kordofan, and its capture extends a series of military successes in a region that has become a central battleground in the civil war. The SAF has pushed the RSF out of much of the state, increasing pressure on the paramilitary group’s positions and supply routes. However, the wider war remains far from settled, with the RSF still controlling almost all of Darfur and parts of Kordofan.

Sudan’s civil war erupted in April 2023 in the capital, Khartoum, after months of tensions between the SAF and the RSF. The conflict has since expanded to 13 of Sudan’s 18 states and has displaced 14 million people, creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

The capture of al-Mazroub on Friday is the latest advance for the army in North Kordofan. “The Sudanese army has taken full control of al-Mazroub after battles with the Rapid Support Forces,” Mohamed Deidan, spokesman for the army’s special forces, told the Anadolu news agency. Deidan described the capture as an important step in the army’s efforts to cut the RSF’s supply lines, saying the town serves as a link between army-controlled North Kordofan and West Kordofan, which is an RSF stronghold.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Sudanese army announced it had delivered a “knockout blow” to the RSF and its ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), in Blue Nile state, claiming to have inflicted heavy losses on fighters and equipment. SPLM-N controls parts of South Kordofan. In a statement, the army’s Fourth Infantry Division said its troops, backed by supporting forces, targeted the two groups in the Minza and Bashkarkad areas, inflicting heavy losses and disrupting their movements.

Separately on Saturday, Blue Nile Governor Ahmed al-Omda Badi said the RSF launched drone attacks on the governor’s house, but the aircraft were intercepted by air defences. Blue Nile in southeastern Sudan has witnessed a military escalation in recent days with the RSF and SPLM-N launching attacks on several areas in the state.

The SAF controls Khartoum and most of the country’s north, east, and centre, while the RSF controls much of western Sudan, including almost all of Darfur and parts of Kordofan. South Kordofan remains contested while the SPLM-N holds pockets of territory in the south.

The shifting front lines have done little to ease Sudan’s humanitarian catastrophe. About 19.5 million people faced acute hunger, and multiple areas were at risk of famine, according to monitors. Meanwhile, rising malnutrition and currency depreciation continue to severely impact families across the country.