![Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers in Khartoum. [Photo courtesy]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20211129_2_51095125_71146670-e1666265364615-ezgif.com-webp-to-jpg-converter.jpg?quality=89&ssl=1)
The RSF, in coordination with allied forces from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) under Abdelaziz al-Hilu, has maintained control of key territory surrounding Dilling since the start of the war in 2023, cutting off SAF supply and reinforcement routes from North Kordofan and the capital Khartoum.
In recent days, SAF units launched a coordinated offensive from Al-Hamadi, a town further north on the Al-Obeid–Kadugli road, successfully pushing southward and seizing Al-Debeibat after reportedly defeating scattered RSF resistance.
The SAF now controls a contiguous corridor stretching from Al-Obeid in North Kordofan to the outskirts of Dilling, with military analysts calling it a “strategic breakthrough” in efforts to reclaim the Nuba Mountains frontline.
Local sources in Al-Khawai, a town recently recaptured by SAF forces in neighboring West Kordofan, told Sudans Post that dozens of RSF fighters surrendered near Al-Debeibat as government troops advanced.
These claims align with a SAF statement earlier this week reporting an unspecified number of RSF surrenders in the “Kordofan Axis,” though no specific location was confirmed.
The advance in South Kordofan is part of a broader multi-front campaign by the SAF that has, over the past three weeks, yielded significant territorial gains across North Darfur, West Kordofan, and southern Omdurman.
In North Darfur, SAF troops – backed by allied units from the Joint Force of former Darfur rebel movements – captured the strategic town of Al-Atrun. The area includes a military garrison and an airstrip that had been used by the RSF for launching drone strikes into northern Sudan and for smuggling weapons and gold via Libya.
Control of Al-Atrun cuts off a key RSF logistics hub in the desert and places pressure on RSF positions further south.
In West Kordofan, the army reclaimed Al-Khawai, a town situated about 100 kilometers east of Al-Nahud, a regional center which had served as the de facto state capital following the fall of Al-Fula to the RSF in mid-2024.
Al-Nahud itself was captured by the RSF on May 1, 2025, marking a significant setback to SAF’s operations to open the Al-Sadarat (or Inqaz Al Qarbi) highway, a strategic route linking Kordofan to Darfur and crucial for the reinforcement of Al-Fasher, which remains under RSF siege.
Al-Nahud’s loss followed RSF gains in Al-Maliha and the surrounding desert corridor, severing SAF’s northern flanking options toward Melit and other key towns in the Darfur theater.
SAF’s attempt to counter those losses through the Kordofan offensives now appears to be gaining momentum.
Meanwhile, SAF has taken control over Salha, a major RSF stronghold in southern Omdurman, nearly two months after reclaiming central Khartoum. Salha had remained under RSF occupation and was used to launch intermittent attacks on government positions.
Its capture further weakens RSF capacity to mount urban operations in the Khartoum tri-city area and ends presence of paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in central Sudan.
The SAF’s proximity to Dilling is both symbolic and operationally significant. The town, situated at the northern gateway to the Nuba Mountains, is home to military bases and a large garrison that has been surrounded for months.
Breaking the siege would enable SAF to resupply its forces and potentially open the way for deeper operations into SPLM-N-controlled territory toward Kadugli, the state capital of South Kordofan.
If successful, the ongoing operations could shift the momentum of the war in favor of SAF in southern Sudan, after a year of RSF advances, particularly in urban areas and western states.
However, RSF remains entrenched in Al-Fasher, Nyala, Geneina, and large parts of West Darfur, with the potential for renewed offensives if SAF supply lines are overextended.
