Forces affiliated with the Founding Alliance (Tasis) have taken full control of all four main entry and exit routes to the city of Kadugli in South Kordofan, western Sudan, according to a senior field commander speaking to Sky News Arabia.
The commander said the operation was completed on Sunday, coinciding with the evacuation of the remaining civilians from the city. More than 25,000 residents have fled Kadugli over the past two days alone, amid escalating military pressure.
According to the source, Rapid Support Forces (RSF), operating alongside the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N), strengthened their positions after capturing the strategically significant Brono area. Brono links Kadugli with the towns of Dilling and Lagawa in West Kordofan. RSF and allied forces are now positioned between 7 and 15 kilometres from Kadugli, one of the three remaining major cities in the Kordofan region where General al-Burhan’s army (SAF) still maintains a presence.
The city has come under sustained drone attacks in recent hours, with strikes reportedly targeting the headquarters of the 55th Infantry Brigade, government buildings, and security installations.
These developments follow RSF advances in West Kordofan, where the group recently took control of the towns of Babanusa and the Heglig oilfield area.
Humanitarian crisis deepens
Local sources described the humanitarian situation as extremely dire, with thousands of civilians fleeing Kadugli toward areas lacking basic services and life-saving infrastructure.
Residents said the SAF had prevented civilians from leaving the city for months, despite severe shortages of food and medical supplies.
“People have suffered acute food shortages and a near-total collapse of medical services,” one local source said. “Conditions worsened dramatically after the army expelled around 30 humanitarian organisations that had been providing assistance in the area.”
On Saturday, the United Nations Interim Security Force mission operating in Kadugli since 2011 completed its withdrawal from the city. Personnel and equipment were relocated to Abyei, the disputed border area between Sudan and South Sudan.
Despite the withdrawal, the UN mission said it remains committed to its mandate under the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism, but stressed that any resumption of activities in Kadugli would depend on adequate security guarantees.
Community mediation efforts
More than two weeks ago, local community groups called for the withdrawal of all warring forces from Kadugli to prevent fighting inside the city, which has become one of only three key urban centres in Kordofan still hosting SAF.
The Nuba Mountains Forces Alliance urged all parties to demilitarise the area, warning that continued militarisation could lead to a catastrophic outcome.
Since the outbreak of war in Khartoum in mid-April 2023, which has killed more than 150,000 people and displaced around 15 million nationwide, humanitarian conditions across Kordofan have steadily deteriorated. Several areas of the region are now experiencing famine-like conditions.
The Nuba Alliance said it had held consultations with political and civilian leaders, traditional authorities inside and outside Sudan, as well as senior officers from the region serving in various armed formations, including the SAF and SPLM-N.
The alliance confirmed it had submitted a memorandum to SAF chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, SPLM-N leader Abdelaziz al-Hilu, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), the Founding Alliance, the civilian coalition “Somoud,” and other influential political actors.
