Sudanese Army Calls on Kordofan Fighters in RSF Ranks to Surrender

By Al Mayadeen English

28 Jul 2026 18:26

Sudan's army pledges safety guarantees to Kordofan fighters in RSF ranks who surrender, as it advances in North Kordofan and Burhan visits front-line troops.

The Sudanese army has urged fighters from the Kordofan region serving in the ranks of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to lay down their weapons and surrender to the nearest military unit, pledging to guarantee their safety in line with the law and military conventions.

The appeal came in a joint statement from the Ministry of Defence and the General Command of the Armed Forces, which said the army's fight was not with the people of Kordofan but with RSF commanders who "exploited local fighters" and pushed them to the front lines "in service of foreign interests and agendas."

"Any fighter who surrenders immediately at the nearest army checkpoint or unit will have their safety guaranteed," the statement said. Those who choose to keep fighting alongside the RSF, however, were warned they will remain targets of the army's ongoing operations in Kordofan.

As for citizens, the Sudanese army had already told residents across Kordofan's states to keep away from RSF positions, mobile units, and gathering points, and not to go near any locations RSF fighters use for shelter or movement. Civilians have been told to follow field commanders' instructions to stay safe as operations continue.

Kordofan emerges as key battleground

The appeal comes as ground and air operations intensify across Kordofan, now one of the main battlegrounds in the war between the army and the RSF. It follows army announcements of advances in North Kordofan, where forces say they retook Bara, Jabra al-Sheikh, and Umm Sayala, towns sitting along vital supply routes between El-Obeid, central Sudan, and Darfur.

Army chief and Transitional Sovereignty Council head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visited troops on the front lines in Umm Sayala and Jabra al-Sheikh, while the RSF said it was reviewing its military strategy in light of the army's gains.

The army has said in recent weeks that it is pushing to reclaim territory and military installations still held by the RSF in both Kordofan and Darfur.

Why Bara, Kordofan matter

Bara's strategic value comes from its position on the road linking Omdurman to El-Obeid and onward to Darfur, making it a crucial artery for troop and supply movement between central and western Sudan.

Kordofan itself, made up of the North, West, and South Kordofan states, functions as the main corridor between army-controlled territory in central and eastern Sudan and RSF strongholds in Darfur. At its center is El-Obeid, North Kordofan's capital and the region's largest city, which hosts key military facilities and a strategic airport at the crossroads of several routes to Darfur and Khartoum.

RSF leader tells fighters they are 'unleashed' after army gains

The commander of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohammed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo, declared that his fighters were "unleashed" following battlefield setbacks in North Kordofan, where the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) recently regained control of a strategic highway linking Khartoum to the regional hub of El-Obeid.

AFP reports that his statement came a day after the RSF lost control of a key section of the 400-kilometer route connecting the Sudanese capital with North Kordofan's largest city, marking a significant advance for the army as fighting continues across multiple fronts.

In a video message published by the RSF's parallel administration on Monday, Dagalo told his forces that he was no longer restraining their operations.

"From today, I no longer hold the reins, I have released the reins to you," Dagalo said, addressing fighters on the frontlines.