Sudan’s Army Reclaims Key Highway to El‑Obeid Amid Fierce Clashes

On Sunday the Sudanese army declared that it had finally pushed the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) off the Al‑Sadarat highway – the 350‑kilometre stretch that connects the capital, Khartoum, with the war‑torn city of El‑Obeid in North Kordofan. After two days of back‑and‑forth fighting, the army says the road is now back under its command.

It may sound like just another military update, but the capture matters. The highway is the lifeline the army uses to move troops, fuel, ammunition and even humanitarian aid. Until now, RSF fighters had blocked the route, forcing the army to detour through the longer, more treacherous path across White Nile State. By reopening the direct line, the army hopes to relieve the pressure on El‑Obeid, a city where roughly half a million people are trapped under a looming humanitarian disaster.

According to a statement released by the armed forces, soldiers recaptured the towns of Um Qurfa and Jarigakh, inflicting “heavy losses” on RSF fighters and compelling them to withdraw. The army even bragged about taking “control of the export route of Omdurman‑Al‑Obeid,” a phrase that sounds almost bureaucratic but signals a real strategic win.

For the civilians caught in the crossfire, the news is a mixed blessing. Al‑Migdad Al‑Ruhaid, a Sudan‑based analyst, told Al Jazeera that the road’s reopening could speed up the delivery of food, water and medical supplies. He added, somewhat cautiously, that the highway could also revive trade in livestock and agricultural products that have been stalled for months.

UN officials have been warning for weeks that El‑Obeid is on the brink of catastrophe. Women’s groups say girls are forced to choose between fetching water in daylight – risking a drone strike – or waiting until nightfall and exposing themselves to sexual violence. The conflict, which erupted in April 2023 over the integration of the RSF into the national army, has already claimed about 40,000 lives and displaced more than 14 million people, according to the World Health Organization.

While the army’s victory on the highway is certainly a morale boost for Khartoum, the RSF still holds large swathes of territory in western Sudan. Losing the road hampers their bid to capture El‑Obeid, a prize that would give them control over much of the west. The fighting, however, is far from over, and civilians remain the ones who suffer the most.

In short, the Al‑Sadarat highway’s return to army hands is a tactical win that could improve logistics and humanitarian access, but the broader war – with its endless cycles of violence, displacement and suffering – continues unabated.