Sovereignty Council President and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan visited the newly captured towns of Bara, Jabra El Sheikh, and Um Sayala on Monday, a day after the army announced it had seized the areas from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Travelling by military helicopter, El Burhan inspected frontline troops alongside Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi, North Kordofan Governor Abdelkhaliq Abdelatif, and Sudan Shield Forces commander Abu Agla Keikil, according to the Sovereignty Council.
The visit comes as fierce fighting continues across North Kordofan, where both sides are battling for control of the strategic Omdurman–El Obeid Export Road.
‘Export Road key to military campaign’
Military analyst Brig Gen Walid Ezzeldin told Radio Dabanga that the recent advances are significant because they strengthen the SAF’s control of the Export Road, one of Sudan’s most important military and logistical corridors.
He said the road is vital for moving troops, ammunition, fuel and supplies towards Kordofan and Darfur, while Bara’s location on the Omdurman–El Obeid route makes it a strategic objective for both the SAF and the RSF.
Ezzeldin added that securing nearby areas such as Jabra El Sheikh and Um Sayala is essential to protect supply lines and prevent attacks on military convoys.
Analysts see strategic breakthrough
Nihad El Tayeb, senior research assistant at the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), said the recapture of Bara, Jabra El Sheikh, and Um Sayala marks a major strategic breakthrough.
She said the gains reconnect the SAF’s Fifth Infantry Division in El Obeid with forces further east, creating a more efficient supply route than the previous corridor through White Nile state.
According to El Tayeb, the advance improves the army’s ability to defend El Obeid and strengthens its position for future operations towards West Kordofan, although she expects the RSF to attempt a counteroffensive.
Coordinated offensive and reconstruction plans
Political analyst Suhaib Hamid told Radio Dabanga that the SAF launched its offensive simultaneously across several axes to secure the El Obeid–Bara–Omdurman road and strengthen its wider campaign in Kordofan.
Meanwhile, Jabra El Sheikh Executive Director Mohammed El Daw announced plans to begin rebuilding infrastructure damaged during the fighting, calling on residents to help restore water, health and education services.
He also said Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) had expressed readiness to launch emergency medical operations in Bara following a needs assessment.
RSF says siege continues
Residents in El Obeid celebrated the recent advances during El Burhan’s visit, but an RSF military source rejected claims of a decisive victory.
The source said RSF forces still surround El Obeid from North Darfur’s axis of Jabel Eisa and El Hashaba and continue to control key water sources, insisting that the SAF’s gains in North Kordofan has not yet been consolidated.
