Sudan Army Regains Control of Bara in North Kordofan
Town lies along strategic highway linking El-Obeid and Khartoum
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied former Darfur rebel movements have regained control of the town of Bara in North Kordofan State, marking another shift in the battle for one of the region’s most strategic localities. The town had already changed hands during the war and had once been retaken by the military last year.
Videos reviewed and geolocated by Sudan War Monitor show fighters inside Bara, confirming the presence of SAF-aligned forces in the town. The footage indicates that the military and its allies entered the locality after pushing out elements of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Fighters seen in the videos appear to belong largely to the Joint Forces of Armed Struggle Movements (JSAMF), the coalition of former Darfur rebel groups who have aligned with the Sudanese army in the war against the RSF. The RSF had previously held the town as part of its network of positions across northern North Kordofan.
One video geolocated to 13°42’5.98”N 30°21’59.27”E shows a fighter from the Joint Forces speaking directly to the camera and declaring that the recording was made on March 5, 2026, which he said was corresponding to the 16th day of Ramadan, while standing in what appears to be central Bara.
In a video, a fighter from the Joint Forces says he is filming from inside Bara and states that the recording was made on March 5, 2026. Sudan War Monitor geolocated the footage to central Bara at 13°42'5.98"N 30°21'59.27"E.
The Sudanese military later confirmed the development in a statement issued by its general command, announcing that its forces, together with allied units, had retaken the town following what it described as intense fighting.
The military framed the battle as part of its broader campaign against the RSF, referring to the war as the “War of Dignity” and vowing that operations would continue until the militia is expelled from all Sudanese territory.
“With the help and success granted by God, your armed forces, together with the supporting forces, today succeeded in liberating the city of Bara by force and determination after heroic battles that inflicted heavy losses in lives and equipment on the terrorist militia and forced it to flee, leaving behind its vehicles and equipment on the battlefield.”
“This victory represents a new step on the path toward decisive victory and confirms that the determination of your armed forces does not waver. The battle will continue steadily until every inch of the homeland is cleansed of the filth of thugs and agents.”
“The armed forces salute the steadfastness and patience of our great people and their united support behind them. We pray for paradise and eternal rest for the martyrs who paved the path of dignity and honor with their blood, and for a swift recovery for the wounded and injured.”
Additional footage circulating on social media and reviewed by Sudan War Monitor suggests that RSF units may have suffered significant losses during the battle for Bara. Several videos show the bodies of RSF fighters lying in desert terrain, along with vehicles believed to have been abandoned during the fighting.
Other clips appear to show detainees identified by the soldiers filming them as captured RSF fighters, including RSF Brigadier Salih Haymer, indicating that a number of combatants may have been taken prisoner during the assault on the town.
Pro-SAF sources said army-aligned forces had seized large quantities of equipment following the battle, including dozens of vehicles, ammunition, fuel tankers and what they described as a jamming system.
While Sudan War Monitor cannot independently verify these claims, they further claimed that RSF forces in the town had been largely destroyed or dispersed, though the scale of these losses remains difficult to independently verify.
Why Bara matters in the war
Bara occupies a strategically significant position in northern North Kordofan. The town lies roughly 55 kilometers north of El Obeid, the state capital, and sits astride the Sadarat Highway—also known as the Al-Inqaz Al-Qarbi Highway, one of Sudan’s most important transport corridors linking Khartoum and Omdurman with the Kordofan region and further west toward Darfur.
Control of Bara therefore carries both logistical and symbolic weight. For the Sudanese military, holding the town secures a key segment of the road network that connects central Sudan to El Obeid, which has been a major military and administrative hub during the conflict. The road also serves as a vital supply artery for troop movements and civilian goods.
The recapture of Bara comes amid a broader pattern of shifting frontlines across Sudan’s multiple war theaters, particularly in the Kordofan region where both sides have alternately seized and lost key towns in recent weeks.
Just days before the latest development, RSF forces had launched operations that reimposed a blockade on the towns of Dilling and Kadugli in South Kordofan, cutting off important supply routes and reversing gains previously made by the army and its allies there. That advance by the RSF appears now to have been counterbalanced by the army’s renewed push north of El Obeid.
The result is a pattern increasingly visible in the war that when one side captures or isolates a town in one sector, the opposing force responds by striking elsewhere along the front, creating a cycle of territorial exchanges rather than decisive breakthroughs.
Bara itself has repeatedly changed hands during the conflict.
In September 2025, Sudanese army units and allied formations stormed the town in what was then one of the military’s most significant advances in North Kordofan. That victory had briefly opened a direct supply route linking Khartoum to El Obeid and weakened the RSF’s grip on the surrounding countryside.
However, the RSF later regrouped and recaptured the town after a series of counterattacks, restoring its control over the highway corridor and reestablishing pressure on El Obeid. The latest operation therefore marks yet another reversal in a town that has become one of the most contested positions in the Kordofan theater.
The battle also appears to have been fought largely by allied movements fighting alongside the Sudanese army, particularly fighters from the Joint Force of former Darfur rebel groups, primarily the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).
These groups, whose fighters are largely drawn from Darfur’s desert warfare traditions, have increasingly played a frontline role in battles across Kordofan and Darfur. Their experience in mobile desert combat has made them particularly effective in engagements against RSF units, which rely heavily on similar tactics involving fast-moving pickup-mounted fighters.
The Sudanese army has often relied on these allied forces to spearhead ground assaults in open terrain, particularly where armored or mechanized units are less effective. Despite the apparent setback in Bara, the RSF still maintains positions further north along the same highway corridor.
One of the key remaining RSF-controlled localities in the area is Jabra Al-Sheikh, a town located north of Bara that has long served as a logistical node for RSF operations in northern Kordofan and which is closer to Khartoum State. Its continued control by the RSF means that the highway linking El Obeid to Omdurman remains only secured from the south.
The RSF did not immediately issue a statement responding to the loss of the town. In previous battles in the region, the paramilitary group has often responded with counterclaims of its own battlefield successes or emphasized other developments on the frontlines to offset losses elsewhere.
Videos
In this video, soldiers from the Joint Forces are seen driving as they approach the town of Bara. They are heard speaking in Zaghawa, stating that the date is 15 Ramadan, corresponding to March 5, 2026.
In this video, soldiers from the Islamist Baraa Bin Malik are seen entering Bara, saying they are “fasting from Bara.”
In this video, RSF soldier identified as “Brigadier Saluh Haymer” is seen as a war captive by the Sudanese military soldiers.
In this video, another unidentified RSF soldier being interrogated by SAF soldiers. Here, he appears to have been captured with some military vehicles (warning of abusive langauge).
Statement by the Sudanese Army:
