Sudan Army Claims Capture of Last RSF Stronghold in North Kordofan, Shifting War Map
Severity: WARNING
Detected: 2026-09-25T18:11:45.453Z
Summary
Sudan’s army says it seized Sodari, the final major RSF urban holdout in North Kordofan, after a two‑week offensive that retook more than a dozen positions by 18:02 UTC. If confirmed, Khartoum’s forces gain a key central hub, tightening pressure on RSF lines stretching toward Darfur and deepening the humanitarian squeeze on civilians caught between shifting fronts.
Details
By 18:02 UTC on 25 September, Sudan’s national army announced it had captured Sodari, described as the last significant Rapid Support Forces (RSF) urban stronghold in North Kordofan, after a sustained two‑week campaign. The push, supported by drone strikes and ground advances from Bara and Jabrat al‑Sheikh, reportedly recaptured at least 11 locations and now places army units a few kilometres from Al‑Mazroub and advancing south toward Khoi, with RSF remnants still present around Al‑Mazroub and Umm Badr.
If independently verified, the loss of Sodari marks a meaningful shift in the balance of control across central Sudan. Sodari is not just another town: it anchors routes across North Kordofan that connect the Nile heartland to Darfur and the west. For the RSF, losing a final significant urban foothold in this state would complicate reinforcement, logistics and taxation networks that have underpinned its war effort. For the army, consolidating North Kordofan would secure a critical buffer for government‑held zones and create a platform to threaten RSF positions deeper in Darfur and along key road corridors.
For civilians, the offensive is likely to have come at high cost. North Kordofan has been a conduit for displacement away from heavier fighting elsewhere; a rapid multi‑axis push using drones and ground columns heightens risks of urban damage, new displacement and disruption of already fragile food and fuel flows into interior Sudan. Aid agencies operating in and around El‑Obeid, Bara and rural communities will now have to reassess access routes, security guarantees and negotiating counterparts as local control changes hands again.
Militarily, this advance suggests the army is regaining initiative in at least one theatre after months of seesaw fighting. Effective use of drones—highlighted in the reporting—may indicate growing external support or improved domestic adaptation of unmanned systems, enhancing the army’s ability to strike RSF convoys and rear areas. The reported push south toward Khoi, combined with pressure on Al‑Mazroub and Umm Badr, points to an attempt to fragment remaining RSF pockets and cut lateral movement between Darfur and central Sudan. If RSF cannot stabilize a defensive line, it faces the risk of a broader rollback in the centre, though it still retains strongholds and social support bases in other regions.
Global markets will not move on Sodari alone, but strategic investors and risk desks should note what a turning point in Sudan’s war could mean. A stronger central government position raises medium‑term prospects for eventually restoring some agricultural output—Sudan is a significant producer of sorghum, sesame and gum arabic—and for re‑opening overland trade routes. However, until a political settlement emerges, the same military momentum may incentivize maximalist positions in talks and prolong instability. For insurers, shippers and commodity players exposed to the Red Sea and Horn of Africa, a more assertive Sudanese army could influence future alignments with regional powers already entangled in Red Sea security.
Over the next 24–48 hours, watch for visual or independent confirmation of army control in Sodari, RSF counter‑claims or counter‑attacks, and any evidence of reprisals or looting that could inflame local grievances. International mediation efforts will track whether this gain hardens negotiating positions or is leveraged to press for talks. Operationally, further army advances toward Khoi, Al‑Mazroub and Umm Badr will signal whether this is a localized success or the start of a broader campaign to break RSF control arcs across central and western Sudan.
MARKET IMPACT ASSESSMENT: Direct short‑term impact on global markets is limited, but a turning point in Sudan’s war affects political risk around Red Sea trade and any future recovery of Sudanese agriculture and gold exports. Watch Sudan‑related sovereign risk, humanitarian aid flows, and security perceptions along the Red Sea corridor already strained by regional tensions.
Sources
- OSINT