Clashes Around El Obeid in North Kordofan
RSF seeks to reimpose siege as SAF tries to maintain buffer zone around city
RSF troops attacked Al-Dankoj, a small village between El Obeid and Bara in North Kordofan, on 27 December 2025, before withdrawing. SAF troops reasserted control the following day. A graphic video filmed by RSF combatants and reviewed by Sudan War Monitor indicated that the SAF-allied Mustafa Tambour faction suffered losses in the village.
Meanwhile, farther south, Sudanese army troops attacked Alloaba, an RSF-controlled, setting fire to parts of the town before withdrawing the same day or the following day, according to videos filmed by SAF combatants.
Such moves are not militarily significant in themselves but are part of a process of reconnaissance and maneuver ahead of potentially larger battles. Both sides have recently reinforced their forces in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, and carried out drone strikes in the region.
For background, the Sudanese military (SAF) reopened the key road between El Obeid during an offensive in late 2024 and early 2025, breaking a loose siege of the North Kordofan capital that had lasted nearly three years. SAF subsequently pushed even farther west, briefly penetrating into West Kordofan State, before being driven back by an RSF counter-offensive. In recent months, the RSF has recaptured territory close to El Obeid, surrounding it on three sides, while also using drones to attack supply vehicles traveling along the only open road, between El Obeid and Kosti.
Below: Video of RSF combat vehicles in Al-Dankoj, 27 December 2025