The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) announced they have retaken the city of Bara, the second-largest city in North Kordofan state, following a military operation against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The army said the operation pushed RSF fighters out of the city after intense fighting supported by air and drone strikes.
Military sources said the air force carried out heavy attacks early Thursday targeting RSF deployment positions inside Bara.
The strikes reportedly hit military vehicles and troop concentrations before ground forces advanced from positions north of el-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan.
Troops moved from the town of al-Dankoj toward the city and took control of its main entrances, according to the sources.
During the operation, army units destroyed 32 RSF combat vehicles and seized 10 others, while dozens of fighters were killed in clashes and drone attacks.
Bara had been under RSF control since October and was used as a strategic base for operations targeting el-Obeid.
Military officials said the recapture of the city could strengthen the army’s position in North Kordofan and improve security around the regional capital.
The operation involved coordination between the Sudanese army and allied Joint Forces.
According to officials, targeting RSF strongholds inside Bara weakened the group’s ability to resist the advancing ground forces.
Footage circulated by army-aligned platforms showed soldiers deployed inside the city after the fighting, along with detained RSF fighters.
Officials described the retaking of Bara as part of the army’s continuing campaign against RSF positions across Sudan.
The fighting forms part of Sudan’s civil war, which began in April 2023 and has devastated large parts of the country.
After government forces pushed RSF fighters out of Khartoum in March 2025, the paramilitary group shifted its operations toward the Kordofan region and Darfur.
RSF forces had also captured el-Fasher in North Darfur in October, a development followed by reports accusing the group of mass killings, rape, abductions and widespread looting.
The International Criminal Court has since opened a formal investigation into alleged war crimes committed by both sides in the conflict.
Meanwhile, local sources reported that after withdrawing from Bara, RSF fighters attacked the nearby village of Umm Kuraidim, where houses were burned and residents assaulted following accusations that villagers had assisted the army.
The war has killed thousands of people and displaced millions.
According to the United Nations, the conflict has created the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis, with the World Food Programme estimating that 21.2 million people are facing acute food shortages while about 12 million have been forced from their homes.