SAF Consolidates Dilling Breakthrough; Road to North Kordofan Fully Secured After Al-Tukma Operations

The Sudanese Armed Forces confirmed on April 8 that the key road connecting Dilling in South Kordofan to North Kordofan had been fully restored and secured, following intense combat operations around Al-Tukma (approximately 7km east of Dilling). SAF forces seized control of Al-Tukma from RSF and SPLM-N elements, routing their remnants who fled leaving behind vehicles and equipment. In a concurrent engagement, a large RSF assault force — reportedly including fighters from South Sudan — infiltrated the Al-Tumat neighborhood on Dilling's western edge but was repelled by SAF defenders before the attack could consolidate gains. The reopening of the Dilling–North Kordofan road relieves a partial siege that had degraded resupply into the city since late March, during which RSF-SPLM-N artillery repeatedly struck residential areas and the city's main market. The Sudan Doctors Network had warned of an El Fasher-scale humanitarian catastrophe developing in Dilling if the military situation continued unchecked. The road opening follows a broader SAF counteroffensive arc in South and North Kordofan after the relief of El Obeid and recapture of Bara in early March 2026.