Sudan's army recaptures strategic highway linking Khartoum to El-Obeid, easing RSF siege

Jul 26, 2026

The Sudanese army has recaptured the strategic Al Sadarat highway and the town of Bara, breaking a months-long Rapid Support Forces (RSF) siege on El-Obeid. This advance secures a vital 350-kilometer supply route from Khartoum to North Kordofan, allowing the military to transport troops and fuel while blocking the RSF's western expansion. The breakthrough offers potential relief to 500,000 trapped residents, though the RSF has retaliated with drone strikes amid a crisis that has displaced 14 million people.

Bara recapture by army

▪The Sudanese Armed Forces and allied militiamen captured the town of Bara and the villages of Al Barakah, Umm Sayalah, Jobret Al Sheikh, and Umm Qarfah from the Rapid Support Forces.
▪The capture of Bara, located less than 50 kilometers from Al Obeid, extends the Sudanese army's control over the road linking northern Kordofan to Omdurman.

Al Obeid supply route

▪The reopening of the Al Sadarat highway establishes a direct military supply route for the army to transport troops, weapons, fuel, and equipment to El-Obeid.
▪The Sudanese army recaptured the areas of Um Qurfa and Jarigakh along the highway following two days of heavy fighting with the Rapid Support Forces.
▪The Sudanese army regained control of the Al Sadarat highway, a 350-kilometer strategic route linking Khartoum and Omdurman to El-Obeid.
▪The Rapid Support Forces had controlled most of the strategic Al Sadarat highway since the conflict erupted in April 2023.

Kordofan battlefield operations

▪Drone strikes by both the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces have killed more than 1,000 people in Kordofan since the start of 2026.
▪The Kordofan region has become the primary theater of operations since the Sudanese army lost the entire Darfur region to the Rapid Support Forces.
▪The Rapid Support Forces launched retaliatory dawn drone strikes on El-Obeid following the army's advance, destroying a local lawyers' association and an Agricultural Bank of Sudan branch.

Territorial control divisions

▪The Sudanese army controls the capital, Khartoum, as well as northern, central, and eastern Sudan, with its aligned government based in Port Sudan.
▪The Rapid Support Forces control the Darfur region, where its aligned government sits in Nyala, alongside parts of the Kordofan and Blue Nile regions.

Humanitarian displacement crisis

▪The conflict in Sudan has forced more than 14 million people to flee their homes, creating the world's largest displacement crisis.
▪Approximately 500,000 people remain trapped under siege in El-Obeid, where residents face severe shortages of food, water, and electricity.