Army Says It Repelled RSF Attacks In Khartoum And North Kordofan

Khartoum, August 13, 2026 - Sudanese army air defenses intercepted a second day of drone attacks by the Rapid Support Forces targeting positions across the capital region, with multiple drones downed over northern and western Omdurman. The latest strikes followed a wider barrage on Wednesday against Omdurman, Atbara in River Nile State and El Obeid in North Kordofan, where falling drone debris killed two people.

The renewed aerial campaign signals that the RSF retains the ability to threaten capital-area and northern targets despite recent army gains on the ground. In North Kordofan, the army said it repelled a major RSF assault on Jabrat al-Sheikh after an early-morning attack involving more than 200 armed vehicles, including armored units, from three directions.

The army said its forces and allied combatants destroyed vehicles, captured others and pursued retreating RSF fighters toward Darfur. The army also said it repelled an RSF attack on Al-Ayara west of El Obeid, using drones to destroy several RSF vehicles. Control of Jabrat al-Sheikh is strategically important because it sits on a major trade and supply route recaptured by the army on July 25.

The fighting underscores the strategic value of North Kordofan's transport corridors, which connect Darfur, El Obeid and the Khartoum region. Continued RSF pressure on these routes raises risks for logistics, humanitarian access and any commercial activity dependent on cross-country movement.