Sudan’s Army Says it Retook Key Road from Insurgents in South Kordofan

Sudanese army forces retake Dashol of South Kordofan from the SPLM-N al-Hilu on June 25, 2025

June 28, 2025 (KADUGLI) – Sudan’s army said on Saturday it had reopened a major road in South Kordofan state after forcing fighters from the SPLM-N al-Hilu group to retreat from the area.

The announcement follows clashes for control of the road linking the cities of Kadugli and Dilling, a strategic route that the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, had captured last week.

“The armed forces have succeeded in reopening the Kadugli-Dilling national road and defeating the SPLM-N forces,” army Major General Faisal Mukhtar al-Sayir, a regional commander, told journalists in the town of Al-Kargal.

Al-Sayir said the army destroyed two tanks and captured a third during fighting in the Dashol and Al-Kargal areas.

He stated the army was determined to “cleanse” all of South Kordofan of SPLM-N and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters.

The developments indicate a potential military escalation in the state, a region of frequent conflict. The SPLM-N had recently moved fighters near Dilling, the state’s second-largest city.

Separately, the RSF, which is fighting the army in a broader national conflict, has deployed reinforcements to the city of Al-Dubaibat, according to military sources. On June 25, shelling from RSF positions into Dilling killed at least four people and wounded others, the sources added.

The military sources said they believe the RSF and the SPLM-N are planning a joint attack to try to take control of Dilling.