El Obeid, September 18 (Darfur24)
The Sudanese army said on Thursday that it had taken control of several areas in North Kordofan State following fighting with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with combing operations continuing west of El Obeid.
In a statement, the army’s General Command said its forces and allied groups had captured Kajmar, Sharshar, Al-Bunya Al-Kariniya, Al-Qali’at, Awlad Hazma, Maquldat, Rishan, Al-Qaa, Ghabat Al-Laqad, Al-Kukiti and areas surrounding Al-Mazroub.
The statement said the army fought fierce battles that inflicted losses on the RSF and pursued what it called the “remnants” of the force towards Darfur.
It added that extensive combing operations were underway west of El Obeid, saying military operations would continue to “complete the extension of state sovereignty and secure citizens.”
North Kordofan has witnessed a sharp escalation in fighting since July, after the army and allied forces advanced along the export-route axis connecting El Obeid to Omdurman through Bara and areas to the north.
The export route is a key supply and transport corridor between central Sudan and North Kordofan. Bara, located about 60 kilometers north of El Obeid, has become strategically important to the army’s efforts to strengthen its supply lines to the city and ease military pressure on it.