Army And RSF Battle For Routes Around El Obeid

El Obeid, August 14, 2026 - Heavy fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces southwest and west of El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, as both sides contested strategic approaches to the city. The RSF launched a dawn ground assault around Umm Arada and the Hashaba Hills, about 25 kilometres southwest of El Obeid.

Army artillery positioned around the city shelled RSF units moving between al-Iyara and Umm Arada, with explosions heard across El Obeid into mid-morning. Government forces said they repelled two RSF assaults using artillery and drone strikes, destroying vehicles and pushing fighters out of the area.

The RSF claimed it had seized Umm Arada, and both sides circulated footage asserting control of disputed positions. The clashes followed an army announcement a day earlier that troops had repulsed a large RSF assault involving about 250 vehicles at Jabrat al-Sheikh, 170 kilometres northeast of El Obeid on the strategic Exports Road.

The RSF has intensified attacks in North Kordofan after losing a string of towns in late July, when the army secured the highway linking the capital region to El Obeid.