SAF Claims Control of Al Sadarat Highway, Reopening Khartoum–El Obeid Export Road

The Sudanese Armed Forces announced on July 27, 2026 that it had recaptured the Al Sadarat highway — the 350km 'Export Road' corridor linking Khartoum to the besieged North Kordofan capital El Obeid — after two days of fierce fighting with the RSF. SAF said it seized the towns of Umm Garfa, Bara, Jabra El Sheikh, and Um Sayala, and claimed to have destroyed 62+ RSF combat vehicles and captured 54 more. The advance disrupts RSF supply lines between Darfur and central Sudan and aims to relieve pressure on El Obeid, where roughly 500,000 residents remain trapped. However, local sources in El Obeid told Radio Dabanga the export road remained closed, with clashes continuing along the route and the RSF still holding the Reihad El Nuba area — underscoring that SAF's territorial claims were disputed on the ground.