Is the Sudanese army gaining momentum against the RSF?

Sudan's army announced it had seized the town of al-Mazroub in North Kordofan after intense clashes, describing the capture as part of a sequence of recent gains in the region. Army spokesman Mohamed Deidan said holding al-Mazroub severs an important link used by the Rapid Support Forces to move fighters and supplies between North and West Kordofan, and called the advance a turning point for fighting in Kordofan.

The SAF also reported operations in Blue Nile state over the weekend, where its Fourth Infantry Division said coordinated attacks on RSF and allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) positions in Minza and Bashkarkad inflicted heavy losses on personnel and equipment and disrupted attempted advances. Blue Nile’s governor separately said RSF-launched drones targeted his residence but were intercepted; neither the RSF nor SPLM-N provided an immediate public response to these government claims.

Control on the ground remains divided. The SAF holds Khartoum and much of Sudan’s north, east and centre, while the RSF dominates much of western Sudan — including nearly all of Darfur — and parts of Kordofan. South Kordofan continues to be contested, with SPLM-N holding pockets in the south. Analysts note that Kordofan has become one of the war’s main flashpoints: about 19.7% of recorded attacks have occurred there, second only to Khartoum, and displacement from the region has risen sharply.

The fighting has compounded an already severe humanitarian emergency. The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification reported roughly 19.5 million people facing acute hunger and warned of famine risk in multiple areas. Aid monitors project hundreds of thousands of children at risk of severe acute malnutrition, and economic measures such as the sharp depreciation of the Sudanese pound in army-controlled areas have driven up the cost of basic goods for many families.

While the SAF frames recent advances as weakening RSF lines and limiting its mobility, the wider war — now in its fourth year and affecting most of the country — remains unresolved. The RSF continues to control large swathes of western Sudan, and shifting front lines mean the humanitarian and security situation could change rapidly.