Sudanese army captures Umm Sayala area in North Kordofan: Military sources

The Sudanese army has taken full control of the Umm Sayala area in Sudan’s North Kordofan State following clashes with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), military sources told Anadolu on Saturday.

The sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said army troops and allied forces launched an offensive on Umm Sayala near the town of Bara.

According to the sources, the army seized full control of the area after inflicting what they described as heavy casualties and equipment losses on the RSF.

Videos circulated on social media appeared to show Sudanese soldiers announcing control of Umm Sayala, alongside footage of destroyed RSF military vehicles. Anadolu could not independently verify the videos.

Umm Sayala is located near Bara, the second-largest city in North Kordofan State, which remains under RSF control. The area lies about 57 kilometers (35 miles) north of El-Obeid, the state capital.

Neither the Sudanese army nor the RSF had issued an official statement on the reported developments as of 1545GMT.

North Kordofan has witnessed intensified fighting in recent months as the Sudanese army seeks to expand its control around El-Obeid and advance toward RSF-held positions in Bara.

Sudan has been engulfed in fighting between the army and the RSF since April 2023, a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced nearly 13 million and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to UN estimates.