Africa — 2026-07-27

Sudanese Army and Joint Force Claim Full Control of Khartoum-El Obeid Highway After Recapturing Bara

BLUFReopening the Al Sadarat corridor likely holds through late August, giving the army a shorter resupply line to El Obeid, though RSF drone strikes signal the route remains contested rather than secure.

The Sudanese Armed Forces, allied militias, and the Joint Force of the Armed Movements announced they have secured full control of the Al Sadarat highway linking Khartoum to El Obeid after several days of operations against the Rapid Support Forces in North Kordofan State, citing the capture of Bara, Jabra al-Sheikh, Um Sayala, Umm Qurfa, and Jereikh 1234. The Joint Force said Major General Abdelaziz Ismail Abakar and Brigadier Abdullah Sharafeldin Abakar were killed during the battle for Bara, less than 50 kilometers from the state capital El Obeid 34. The 400-kilometer route had remained under RSF control since the war began in April 2023, and Bara has changed hands multiple times during the conflict 35. Hours after the announcement, drone strikes hit El Obeid, damaging the local lawyers' association and a branch of the Agricultural Bank of Sudan; local officials attributed the strikes to the RSF, and no casualties were reported 5. The army's claims of full control have not been independently verified 2.

Analysis
Reopening the Al Sadarat corridor lets the army resupply El Obeid's garrison via the shorter Omdurman route rather than the longer White Nile detour, a logistical gain that outweighs the tactical capture of Bara itself. The Joint Force's loss of two senior commanders in a single engagement signals the battle's intensity exceeded a routine clearing operation, and whether the coalition can sustain offensive tempo across Kordofan into West Kordofan, the analysts' expected next axis, remains unclear. Six outlets, including Sudanese primary sources, corroborate the army's claim, though Sudanhorizon flags it as unverified, and Bara's history of repeatedly changing hands suggests RSF forces may have repositioned rather than been dislodged. The dawn drone strikes on El Obeid infrastructure hours after the announcement indicate the RSF is contesting the corridor's security rather than conceding the route.

6 sources

Army says it secures Omdurman–El Obeid highway - Darfur24
Sudanese Army Captures New Areas, Secures Full Control of National Export Highway - Sudanhorizon
Sudan army seizes town in Kordofan, easing pressure on besieged Al Obeid - The National
Sudanese army claim capture of strategic North Kordofan towns - Dabanga Radio TV Online
Drone strikes rock Sudan's El-Obeid after army secures highway - Arab News
Sudan's army regains control of highway linking Khartoum with El Obeid - Al Jazeera