RSF Closes Markets And Satellite Internet In Al-Nuhud

Al-Nuhud, August 25, 2026 - The Rapid Support Forces ordered the indefinite closure of public markets and shut down Starlink satellite internet services in Al-Nuhud, tightening control over a strategic West Kordofan city as fighting threatens to expand toward North Kordofan.

The Dar Hamar Emergency Room, a local volunteer network, said the RSF instructed markets and satellite communications to close from Wednesday until further notice. The group warned that the move would cut residents and displaced families off from mobile banking, remittances and basic communications amid cash shortages and the collapse of regular services.

The restrictions coincided with the arrival of RSF reinforcements from Darfur as the force prepared for operations toward North Kordofan. Local sources also described heavy Sudanese army drone strikes on RSF positions in and around Al-Nuhud.

The measures deepen the humanitarian and commercial isolation of western Sudan. For investors and aid planners, the shutdown underscores the vulnerability of payment systems, trade routes and communications infrastructure in areas contested by the army and the RSF.