(AP) – The Sudanese military has successfully broken a year-long siege on the key city of Obeid, restoring access to a crucial region in the south-central part of the country and strengthening supply routes in its ongoing conflict against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), officials confirmed on Sunday.
Additionally, the military has expelled RSF forces from their final stronghold in White Nile province, marking another significant setback for the paramilitary group, according to military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdullah.
Military Advances and Strategic Gains
Sudan has been in turmoil since April 2023, when tensions between the military and the RSF escalated into full-scale warfare. The conflict has devastated major cities, including Khartoum, and has been characterized by severe human rights violations, such as mass rapes and ethnically motivated killings, which international organizations have classified as war crimes.
Brig. Gen. Abdullah stated that military forces in the al-Sayyad axis successfully reopened the road to Obeid, lifting the RSF-imposed siege on the city. Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan province, houses a major airbase and the military’s 5th Infantry Division, known as Haganah.
Obeid is a significant commercial and transportation hub, situated on the railway connecting Khartoum to Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province. The RSF had blockaded the city since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023.
Sudan’s Finance Minister, Jibril Ibrahim, described the military’s success in Obeid as a “massive step” towards lifting the RSF’s siege on Al-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, and improving humanitarian aid access to the Kordofan region.
The RSF has suffered multiple defeats since September 2024, when the military launched an offensive to reclaim the Greater Khartoum area, which includes Khartoum and its twin cities, Omdurman and Bahri.
Since then, the military has recaptured several key locations, including its main headquarters, and is now on the verge of reclaiming the Republican Palace, which RSF fighters seized in the early hours of the war in an attempt to assassinate military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan.
The RSF has also lost control of Wad Medani, the capital of Gezira province, along with other key locations, including the country’s largest oil refinery. These victories have given the military an upper hand as the conflict nears its two-year mark, with no immediate prospects for a peaceful resolution.
International mediation efforts and pressure—including a U.S. declaration that the RSF and its allies are committing genocide—have so far failed to end the conflict. Meanwhile, the RSF and its allies have signed a charter to establish a parallel government, raising concerns about a potential division of Sudan.
Cholera Outbreak Worsens
Sudan is also battling a worsening cholera outbreak, which has now spread to Rabak, the capital of White Nile province, according to local health authorities. The disease was first detected in Kosti before spreading to Rabak.
Between Thursday and Sunday, 68 people died from cholera in these two cities, while more than 1,860 others were diagnosed, according to the health ministry.
A vaccination campaign in Kosti and Rabak has reached 67% of the targeted population in the past two days. The outbreak has been largely attributed to contaminated drinking water after an RSF attack damaged Kosti’s water supply facility. The system has since been repaired as part of government efforts to contain the disease.
Cholera is a highly contagious bacterial infection that causes severe diarrhea, leading to dehydration and potentially death if untreated. It spreads primarily through contaminated food and water, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Sudan has experienced frequent cholera outbreaks, with the disease killing over 600 people and infecting more than 21,000 between July and October last year, particularly in the country’s eastern regions, where millions of displaced people are concentrated.
