SAF Says It Recaptured 11 Areas in North Kordofan After Drone Strikes on RSF Reinforcement Routes

The Sudanese Armed Forces said on September 17, 2026 that it had retaken 11 areas in western North Kordofan — Kajmar, Sharshar, Al-Baniyah Al-Kurayniyah, Al-Qulay'at, Awlad Hazmah, Magwildat, Rayshan, Al-Qaa, Ghabat Al-Laqad, Al-Kukaiti and the area around Al-Mazrub — after an assault launched early Thursday against RSF positions bordering Sodari, Umm Badr and Hamrat al-Sheikh. The push followed drone strikes beginning September 16 across North and West Kordofan aimed at disrupting RSF reinforcement lines arriving from the west along the Forty Days Road, the desert corridor linking Kordofan and Darfur. An army spokesperson said operations inflicted 'heavy losses' on RSF personnel and equipment, with troops pursuing retreating fighters toward the Darfur border and sweeping areas west of the state capital, El Obeid, adding that operations would continue 'until state authority is restored, civilians are protected and RSF forces are removed from the areas.' Darfur regional governor Minni Minawi, whose Joint Force fights alongside the army, praised the advance on social media. The RSF did not immediately respond to the army's claims, and Sudan Tribune said it could not independently verify the battlefield account.