Kordofan fighting sharpens pressure on Sudan’s east–west corridor
Al Jazeera’s analysis of ACLED and IOM figures points to sustained attacks and rising displacement as fighting intensifies between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces.
Fighting between Sudan’s Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has intensified in Kordofan since late 2025, making the region a central battleground. It lies between army-held central Sudan and RSF-controlled Darfur, along a corridor connecting the two sides’ areas of control.
The SAF has pushed the RSF out of much of North Kordofan in recent months, while South Kordofan remains contested. Drone attacks on towns have grown more frequent, and civilian infrastructure has been hit across the region.
Al Jazeera’s analysis of Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) records 2,717 attacks across Kordofan’s three states from 15 April 2023 to 19 September 2026. That represents one in five recorded attacks in Sudan during the war. ACLED also recorded at least 12,314 reported fatalities in Kordofan since April 2023.
North Kordofan accounted for 1,205 attacks, including 497 in Sheikan locality, home to the state capital, el-Obeid. The city is a commercial and administrative hub; taking it would open a route east towards Khartoum for the RSF, Al Jazeera reported.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), in figures cited by Al Jazeera, says new displacement in Kordofan rose from more than 132,000 in February to at least 219,000 by late June after fighting escalated. IOM has warned that el-Obeid, which shelters about 500,000 people, including more than 83,000 displaced people, faces a threat of full-scale invasion.
