Heavy fighting broke out on Thursday between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), fighters from the Joint Force of former Darfur rebel movements and allied Islamist militias, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on two fronts outside El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State.
The army and its allies launched attacks along two axes. On the western front, troops advanced from Al-A’yara, about 20 kilometres west of El-Obeid, while another force moved south from the city’s outskirts towards South Kordofan.
The western offensive quickly pushed through several villages, including Al-Mamzuka and Abu Qa’ud, before reaching Umm Sumayma. All three villages are in Sheikan Locality.
Umm Sumayma is particularly an important position because it lies near the border with West Kordofan, which the RSF controls entirely, and along the El-Obeid–Al-Nahud highway, a key route linking the North Kordofan capital to areas further west.
Sudan War Monitor geolocated several videos showing the army’s advance through the villages and its entry into Umm Sumayma.
Before the offensive, the RSF had used Al-Mamzuka as its nearest assembly point along this stretch of the road. The latest footage indicates that the military has taken control of the villages and pushed further west to control Umm Sumayma.
One video shows members of the Al-Baraa Ibn Malik militia driving along the western edge of Umm Sumayma.
There are no visible signs of fighting in the footage. The fighters appear to be moving through the town after the army’s advance, apparently conducting security operations following its capture.
In this video, members of the Islamist militant group Al-Baraa Ibn Malik are seen driving through the western part of Umm Sumayma, at coordinates 13°7′30.14″N 29°36′55.90″E.
The latest offensive is part of the army’s effort to reopen the Al-Sadarat Highway, which links El-Obeid to Al-Nahud in West Kordofan. It is not the first attempt by the military to push the RSF away from the road and secure the route westward.
The most recent major attempt took place in April, when the army and its allies advanced west from El-Obeid towards Umm Sumaima. The RSF counterattacked later that day, pushing the army’s forces back and regaining positions in the area.
In this video, members of the Islamist Al-Baraa Ibn Malik militia are seen driving (westward) through central Umm Sumayma towards the main market. Sudan War Monitor geolocated the footage to 13°07’36.25”N 29°37’22.73”E.
RSF Crushes Army Affensive South of El-Obeid
On the southern front, Sudanese army forces advanced through Kazgil, about 40 kilometres south of El-Obeid, towards Al-Hamadi in South Kordofan State. The advance brought the fighting closer to the route linking North Kordofan’s capital with South Kordofan.
Videos geolocated by Sudan War Monitor show Sudanese army soldiers inside Al-Hamadi on Thursday afternoon. However, the advance was short-lived. By the evening, RSF fighters had returned to Kazgil, indicating that the paramilitary had pushed the army back from its positions along the route.
The army suffered losses during the fighting, with RSF units publishing footage showing several destroyed military vehicles and captured Sudanese soldiers.
In this video, Sudanese army soldiers are seen driving towards Al-Hamadi, passing a fuel station north of the town. Sudan War Monitor geolocated the footage to this location: 12°36’12.90”N 29°59’32.87”E.
Other videos reviewed by Sudan War Monitor show military casualties, captured soldiers and destroyed army vehicles following the clashes.
The footage indicates that the army suffered losses during the withdrawal, although the full number of casualties and prisoners could not be independently established.
The army’s advance was short-lived. RSF forces counterattacked, pushing the Sudanese military back from Kazgil and inflicting losses on its troops.
Videos published by the paramilitary show several destroyed pickup trucks used by the army, as well as soldiers it said had been captured during the fighting.
In one video published on Thursday evening, RSF fighters are seen filming inside Kazgil when what appears to be an army suicide drone strikes their position. A soldier recording the footage says it is Thursday, November 5, 2026, at around 5 p.m.
In this video, RSF soldiers filming to confirm control over Kazgil were targetted by a suicide drone. The soldier speaking said it was Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 5:00PM.
Another video reviewed and geolocated by Sudan War Monitor shows RSF fighters outside Al-Hamadi police station, hours after Sudanese military forces had entered the town.
The footage indicates that the RSF had returned to the area following the army’s advance.
Kazgil is an important position on the southern approach to El-Obeid, along the road towards South Kordofan. The town has changed hands during previous military operations, with neither side able to maintain uncontested control of the area for an extended period.
RSF fighters film outside Al-Hamadi police station, at coordinates 12°35’05.61”N 29°59’32.29”E.
The latest fighting is not the first attempt by the army to advance south and reopen the El-Obeid–Dilling road. In September 2025, the military announced that it had retaken Kazgil.
Videos geolocated by Sudan War Monitor at the time showed soldiers moving through the town and displaying equipment captured from the RSF. The paramilitary group later re-established its presence in the area.
The same axis saw heavy fighting in April 2026, when SAF launched an offensive to reopen the road between El-Obeid and Dilling. Army units advanced through Kazgil towards Al-Hamadi and El-Debeibat, but footage geolocated by Sudan War Monitor showed that the advance was not sustained.
The troops later withdrew towards Al-Hamadi before pulling back further towards the outskirts of El-Obeid.
The fighting left the road contested, with the army unable to secure a lasting route through Kazgil and the surrounding areas. Thursday’s clashes followed a similar pattern, with the military reaching Al-Hamadi before the RSF counterattacked and returned to Kazgil.
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