The Sudanese army says it is holding its last stronghold in West Kordofan while RSF forces press east from Darfur, with heavy fighting focused on Babnusa and satellite imagery showing significant damage to army facilities. Verified footage also shows army troops seizing abandoned RSF armoured vehicles amid shifting front lines. Fighting continues toward strategic cities including el‑Obeid and Kadugli, and both sides have ignored proposed ceasefire efforts. Humanitarian conditions are dire after the fall of el‑Fasher, with medical groups reporting sexual violence among fleeing civilians and UN officials warning of staggering suffering and insufficient aid.
Sudan: Army Holds Last West Kordofan Stronghold as RSF Pushes East — Heavy Damage Reported in Babnusa
The Sudanese army says it is holding its last stronghold in West Kordofan while RSF forces press east from Darfur, with heavy fighting focused on Babnusa and satellite imagery showing significant damage to army facilities. Verified footage also shows army troops seizing abandoned RSF armoured vehicles amid shifting front lines. Fighting continues toward strategic cities including el‑Obeid and Kadugli, and both sides have ignored proposed ceasefire efforts. Humanitarian conditions are dire after the fall of el‑Fasher, with medical groups reporting sexual violence among fleeing civilians and UN officials warning of staggering suffering and insufficient aid.
05:47 PM, 11/17/2025Conflict
Sudan army resists RSF eastward push as heavy fighting engulfs Kordofan
Overview: The Sudanese army says it is holding its final stronghold in West Kordofan while the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) press east from Darfur. Fierce battles around the town of Babnusa have left army facilities severely damaged, and humanitarian needs across the west are worsening following the fall of el‑Fasher.
The army reported on Sunday that it repelled an assault on its headquarters in Babnusa, a town repeatedly targeted by RSF offensives. The RSF has pushed eastward in recent weeks after consolidating control across much of Darfur, and its campaign has been accompanied by widespread reports of atrocities and a deepening humanitarian emergency.
Al Jazeera compared satellite imagery taken between September 9 and November 13 and documented substantial damage to army compounds in Babnusa, with thick smoke visible inside the headquarters. The images also indicate drone strikes and repeated shelling that destroyed surrounding infrastructure and limited government forces' mobility.
More recent, verified footage shows soldiers from the Sudanese army's 22nd Division in Babnusa celebrating the capture of armoured vehicles abandoned by retreating RSF fighters, suggesting fluid front lines and local reversals of fortune.
Wider fighting across Kordofan
Analysts predict intense battles will continue across the Kordofan region in the coming weeks. Both RSF and government forces have so far ignored a ceasefire proposal advanced by the United States and regional stakeholders.
In neighbouring North Kordofan, RSF fighters are advancing toward el‑Obeid, a strategically important city that houses a major army airbase and acts as a buffer for Khartoum. Government forces said on Saturday they had recaptured Kazqil and Um Dam Haj Ahmed in North Kordofan. The RSF has also threatened Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan.
Strategic implications
Military expert Colonel Hatem Karim al‑Falahi told Al Jazeera that the outcome of fighting in Kordofan will largely shape future military operations in Sudan. He said the army's ability to hold towns such as Babnusa will materially affect the balance of power in Sudan and the wider region, prompting efforts to strengthen defensive lines and increase airdrops and other aerial support.
Humanitarian crisis
Humanitarian conditions in RSF‑controlled areas to the west remain catastrophic. After el‑Fasher — the last government stronghold in Darfur — fell following an 18‑month siege, reports of hunger, displacement and atrocities against civilians increased sharply.
The Sudan Doctors Network reported confirming 32 cases of rape among girls who fled el‑Fasher and arrived in the nearby town of Tawila over the past week. Survivors recounted assaults either in el‑Fasher or while fleeing, and witnesses have attributed many of these crimes to RSF fighters.
From Tawila, UN Under‑Secretary‑General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher described the situation as "unimaginable suffering," saying that "Darfur has become the world's capital of human suffering" and warning that international aid remains far short of what's needed.
As fighting continues, access constraints and security risks are severely limiting humanitarian response. International and regional actors face urgent pressure to increase aid and negotiate access to protect civilians and address escalating needs.