General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s forces (SAF) have acknowledged withdrawing their units and allied forces from the strategic city of Bara in North Kordofan, confirming a repositioning outside the city based on field assessments.
In a statement, SAF said its air defenses shot down a “strategic drone” belonging to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over El Obeid earlier on Tuesday.
SAF also reported heavy fighting across multiple fronts over the past 24 hours, claiming its forces repelled attacks and inflicted significant casualties and equipment losses on RSF units.
According to the statement, joint SAF forces confronted a large-scale assault in the Darfur axis near Al-Tina, pursuing attacking units and destroying 35 combat vehicles while seizing 49 others. Dozens of RSF fighters were reportedly killed.
In South Kordofan, particularly in the Dilling axis, SAF said it repelled another offensive involving RSF and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) forces. It claimed to have destroyed five combat vehicles and captured four more, along with motorcycles and communications equipment.
Military analysts say control of Bara represents a critical turning point in the conflict, describing the city as a logistical hub linking central Sudan to the west and south.
Bara also provides strategic access toward White Nile state to the east and Khartoum to the north, while anchoring operations along the key export corridor connecting Bara, El Obeid, and the capital.
Control of the city enables uninterrupted supply lines and operational mobility, while directly influencing nearby El Obeid, located roughly 40 km away, and shaping battles further south in Dilling and Kadugli.
However, analysts caution that holding Bara remains difficult due to its open terrain, which leaves it vulnerable to rapid offensives and shifting frontlines.
Since the outbreak of war in April 2023, Bara — the second-largest city in North Kordofan — has seen repeated cycles of capture and recapture between SAF and RSF.
RSF forces initially took control before SAF recaptured the city in September 2025. RSF seized it again in October, only for SAF to regain control roughly 10 days ago.
On Monday, RSF announced it had once again captured Bara.
