Airstrike kills influential tribal leader in RSF-held North Kordofan
Fighting intensifies in El Fasher and rural North Darfur
A deadly drone strike in North Kordofan State has killed one of Sudan’s most prominent tribal figures, Paramount Chief Suleiman Jaber Jumaa Sahl, along with ten senior elders of the Arab Majaneen tribe, in an attack that has deepened confusion over drone operations in contested airspace and devastated traditional authority networks.
The strike took place on Friday in Al-Mazroub, an area under Rapid Support Forces (RSF) control in West Bara locality. Videos reviewed by Sudan War Monitor show the bodies of victims lying in the courtyard of the Majaneen tribal compound, some covered in blood-soaked sheets.
According to locals, the drone targeted a tribal leadership meeting at the Majaneen headquarters while elders were gathered to discuss community affairs. The blast killed Chief Suleiman Jaber and ten others instantly, leaving fifteen more wounded. Eyewitnesses described the aftermath as “a massacre,” with community members transporting the injured to Mazroub Hospital using private cars and donkey carts amid heavy dust and panic.
The dead include Bukhari Mishawir Jaber Jumaa, Abdel-Hafiz Abu Rukok, Nile Ibrahim Jaber Jumaa, Mohamed Ibrahim Jaber Jumaa, Jumaa Mirdas, Aboud Haj Mohamed, Haj Obeid, Mohamed El Sayed, Khalifa Mofreh, and Abdel-Baqi Farah — all senior figures within the Majaneen tribe known for resolving local disputes and maintaining community governance.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) did not issue any statement to deny or confirm involvement in the strike. However, pro-SAF propagandists on social media immediately attributed the attack to the RSF, despite the area being under RSF control.
The RSF, in a statement released late Friday, directly accused the army of carrying out the drone strike, calling it a deliberate attack on civilians. The group described the incident as part of what it called the SAF’s “genocidal campaign” against communities in Darfur and Kordofan.
“In continuation of their grave violations and deliberate targeting of innocent civilians, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), operating under the so-called terrorist Islamic Movement, committed yet another massacre on Friday using a drone that directly targeted civilians.”
“The attack resulted in the deaths of dozens of innocent people, including the chief, senior figures of the civil administration, and prominent members of Majaneen tribe in Al-Mazroub area, which lies under the control of our forces in North Kordofan State.”
“The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while mourning the martyrs of the region, strongly condemns this heinous act of aggression and affirms that the deliberate targeting of civilians falls within the framework of the revenge and genocide campaign waged by the so-called ‘terrorist SAF,’ led by the Port Sudan clique, against the civilian components of community,” said the RSF statement issued via Telegram.
In a separate statement, the pro-RSF civil administration in West Kordofan State condemned the attack, calling it “a grave violation of all national values and norms, and a deliberate targeting of community leaders and traditional authorities who play a central role in preserving the social fabric and promoting peace and stability.”
Mazroub lies deep within RSF-controlled territory in North Kordofan and is bordered by West Kordofan state to the southwest, Sheikan Locality to the south, Bara Locality to the east, Jabra El Sheikh Locality to the northeast, and Sudri, Umm Badr and Hamra El-Sheikh localities to the north. All, but Sheikan and part of Bara are under the Sudanese army control.
High credible individuals on social media have dismissed claims that the RSF could have bombed its own territory.
The late Nazer Suleiman Jaber Sahl descended from Mishawir Jumaa Sahl, the parliamentarian who seconded Sudan’s historic motion for independence in December 1955. Known across Kordofan for his wisdom and neutrality, Suleiman was a respected mediator in tribal conflicts and an influential voice for reconciliation. His killing has left the Majaneen tribe leaderless and shaken the wider network of traditional authorities across Kordofan.
The attack marks a further escalation in Sudan’s drone warfare. It underscores the widening reach of the parties’ aerial campaign into each other’s controlled areas and the increasing risk to civilian and community gatherings. While both sides maneuvered to control the narrative, the strike has erased an entire layer of local leadership that once served as a stabilizing force in Kordofan’s fragile social balance.
Fighting intensifies in El Fasher and rural North Darfur
Heavy fighting has intensified in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State and headquarters of the Sudanese army’s 6th Infantry Division, as the RSF continue their sustained push to seize control of the city. The battle for El Fasher – the army’s last major stronghold in western Sudan – has now reached the outer fences of the 6th Division’s main compound, marking the deepest RSF advance since the war began in April 2023.
Local sources confirmed to Sudan War Monitor that on Friday, RSF fighters captured the Joint Forces headquarters, located inside the former UNAMID base northwest of the city, after hours of heavy fighting.
A video (above) reviewed by Sudan War Monitor shows RSF fighters filming themselves inside the compound. The base, once used by African Union–United Nations peacekeepers and later by the Joint Forces coalition of former Darfur rebel movements, fell after coordinated RSF drone and artillery strikes. Joint Forces commanders reportedly withdrew toward the 6th Division’s perimeter under heavy fire.
In response, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) issued a statement late Friday claiming that their units, alongside the Joint Forces and supporting troops, repelled what it described as the 258th RSF assault on the city since the war began. The statement said:
“The 6th Infantry Division, the Joint Forces, and supporting units repelled the 258th attack launched by mercenaries of the terrorist militia owned by the Dagalo family on the city from the northern and northeastern axes, beginning at six o’clock in the morning. The enemy used infantry supported by more than fifty combat vehicles and armored carriers.”
“By God’s grace, our forces crushed the enemy, inflicting heavy losses in lives and equipment, destroying ten vehicles, disabling one, and capturing two others fully equipped, while neutralizing dozens of enemy fighters. The process of counting the remaining vehicles and weapons is ongoing.”
“We dedicate this victory to the Sudanese people. It is the fruit of cooperation, determination, and reliance on God. The situation is stable, and your forces remain united, operating from a single trench with high morale. Paradise to our righteous martyrs, swift recovery to the wounded, and a safe return to our missing, God willing.”
While the army emphasized that its positions remain intact, Sudan War Monitor field sources and verified footage confirm that RSF fighters are now positioned close to the northern fences of the 6th Infantry Division, and have seized control of the former UNAMID base, giving them strategic visibility over El Fasher’s northwestern approaches.
RSF columns attacked from the northern and north-western axes, pressing toward the industrial zone and Al-Salam neighborhood on Thursday and on Friday. Residents reported continued shelling overnight, with explosions shaking homes and tracer fire lighting the city’s skyline.
El Fasher remains the core command center for SAF in Darfur, with the 6th Infantry Division coordinating defense across the region, especially rural North Darfur where the army still has presence. The RSF’s advance aims to sever the army’s last logistical corridor linking central Sudan to Darfur. Analysts warn that if El Fasher falls, the army’s organized presence in western Sudan would likely disintegrate.
Inside the city, humanitarian conditions are collapsing. The RSF siege has cut all major routes, including the Tawila road and Garni corridor, trapping thousands of civilians. Those attempting to flee have reportedly been executed or detained. Food has nearly run out, and most communal kitchens (tukayas) have closed. In one verified video reviewed by Sudan War Monitor, a displaced man is seen boiling cowhides to survive, a grim illustration of famine now gripping the besieged capital.
Meanwhile, fighting has spread to rural North Darfur, particularly in Abu Qumra, a settlement in Kornoi locality near the border with West Darfur. The area was controlled by neutral Darfur rebel elements loosely aligned with the RSF before they defected to join the Joint Forces.
Following their defection, the RSF launched a large-scale assault, overrunning Abu Qumra for two days. Witnesses reported that RSF fighters burned homes, looted the local hospital, and detained civilians before retreating after a Joint Forces counterattack late Thursday.
Abu Qumra is strategically important due to its proximity to northwestern North Darfur and key routes linking the region with Chad.
Governor Minni Arko Minnawi, who commands one of the Joint Forces factions, described the attack as “an unprovoked assault on civilians” and warned against attempts to turn the conflict into an ethnic war. “The battle is not between tribes, but between the Sudanese people and those tearing the nation apart,” he said.
Further north, fighting in Kornoi locality’s northern and western areas and Tina locality earlier this month between subsections of the Zaghawa tribe left several people dead before being contained through tribal mediation. The clashes, initially feared to spill into the broader RSF–SAF conflict, were defused after community elders intervened to prevent escalation.
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