Sudan Army Breaks 2-year RSF Siege on Dilling, South Kordofan

By Al Mayadeen English

27 Jan 2026 20:18

Sudanese army ends the RSF siege on Dilling following a major military operation in South Kordofan, dealing heavy losses to the paramilitary group.

Sudanese army forces have ended a two-year siege imposed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Dilling, the second-largest city in South Kordofan, the military announced on Monday.

In a statement, the army said it reopened the Dilling road “after a successful military operation that resulted in routing and destroying the RSF militia,” inflicting heavy losses on the paramilitary group in both personnel and equipment.

The army pledged to “continue cleansing the country of the RSF militia until security and stability are restored across the country.”

Witnesses reported that Sudanese forces entered the city following clashes with the RSF and its ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N). Large crowds of residents welcomed the troops as they arrived, according to eyewitness accounts. Video clips shared by Sudanese soldiers on social media showed celebrations by both troops and civilians inside Dilling.

There was no immediate response from the RSF regarding the army’s announcement. The paramilitary group had maintained a crippling siege on Dilling since January 2024.

The broader conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the RSF, has left thousands dead and millions displaced. Currently, the RSF controls most of Sudan’s five states in the western Darfur region, while the army holds most areas in the remaining 13 states, including the capital, Khartoum.

Siege on Dilling one example of country-wide crisis

The siege on Dilling, the second-largest city in South Kordofan, was imposed in January 2024 when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied fighters cut off the city’s main supply routes amid Sudan’s nationwide civil war, isolating residents and blocking food and aid deliveries.

For more than two years, the blockade choked access to Dilling, contributing to severe shortages of food, medicine, and basic services as humanitarian assistance was unable to reach many neighborhoods deep within the siege lines.

The long-running encirclement was part of the war that began on April 15, 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese army and the RSF, leaving tens of thousands dead and millions displaced across the country.

The prolonged siege worsened an already acute humanitarian crisis, with civilians enduring hunger, limited access to health care, and repeated shelling, forcing some families to flee toward less besieged areas under dangerous conditions.

According to the Committee for Justice, on January 7, repeated artillery shelling and the communications blackout inside Dilling made it nearly impossible for aid groups to assess needs or deliver relief, resulting in acute shortages of food and essential supplies and rising civilian casualties. The committee described these conditions as serious violations of international humanitarian law.