Sudan’s army retakes two towns in North Kordofan after clashes with paramilitary RSF

KHARTOUM, Sudan/ISTANBUL

The Sudanese army on Wednesday retook control of the Kazgeil and Riyadh towns in North Kordofan after clashes with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), military sources said.

Army forces secured the two areas after intense fighting, forcing RSF fighters to retreat after sustaining losses in personnel and equipment, the sources told Anadolu.

Videos circulated by Sudanese army personnel on social media showed forces inside Kazgeil, announcing control of the area located about 45 kilometers (28 miles) south of El-Obeid, the capital city of North Kordofan.

There was no official comment from the Sudanese army or the RSF as of yet.

Kazgeil and Riyadh had remained under RSF control for more than a year and a half before the army briefly retook them in July, only for the rebel group to regain control later that month.

The three Kordofan states – North, West, and South – have seen weeks of fierce fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), prompting tens of thousands of people to flee.

Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states of the Darfur region in the west, except for some northern parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. The army, in turn, holds most areas of the remaining 13 states in the south, north, east, and center, including the capital, Khartoum.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has since killed thousands of people and displaced millions of others.