The Sudan army is holding on to its last stronghold in West Kordofan as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) pushes to take control of the province east of Darfur.
The army said on Sunday it had repelled an attack against its headquarters in the town of Babnusa, which has been under repeated attacks from the RSF.
The paramilitary force has been pushing eastwards in recent weeks, having solidified control in Darfur. The RSF campaign continues to incur reports of mass atrocities and a desperate humanitarian situation.
On Saturday, RSF fighters released several videos from inside Babnusa. Several were shown claiming they were advancing along multiple axes and would soon “liberate” the area.
A comparison of satellite images taken between September 9 and November 13 by Al Jazeera revealed that the RSF offensive in Babnusa had seriously damaged a number of army facilities, with thick smoke rising from within the headquarters.
The images also showed signs of drone targeting and extensive damage to several facilities surrounding the headquarters, with repeated shelling destroying much of the infrastructure and restricting the army’s movements within the area.
However, more recent footage circulating online, which has been verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking agency, showed soldiers with the 22nd Division of the Sudanese army in Babnusa celebrating the capture of armoured vehicles left behind by retreating RSF fighters.
Intense battles are expected to continue across the Kordofan region in central Sudan over the coming weeks, with the RSF and government forces ignoring a ceasefire proposal presented by the United States and regional stakeholders.
In North Kordofan, the RSF is pushing to take the strategic city of el-Obeid, home to a major army airbase and a buffer for the capital, Khartoum.
The government forces, which have been fighting the RSF since the civil war broke out in April 2023, announced on Saturday that their soldiers had recaptured Kazqil and Um Dam Haj Ahmed in North Kordofan.
The RSF also has its sights on Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan.
The outcome of the current fighting in Kordofan will largely shape the course of future military operations, according to Colonel Hatem Karim al-Falahi, a military expert who spoke to Al Jazeera.
He said the army’s ability to protect strategic cities such as Babnusa will have a significant effect on Sudan’s military and regional balance in the weeks ahead, so the army has been trying to strengthen defensive lines and conduct airdrops and other forms of air assistance.
‘Unimaginable suffering’
While the fighting continues, the humanitarian situation remains catastrophic in RSF-dominated parts of the country to the west.
In the aftermath of last month’s fall of el-Fasher, the last stronghold of government forces in Darfur, after 18 months of siege, reports of hunger, displacement and atrocities committed against civilians have become increasingly urgent.
Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement on Sunday that it had confirmed 32 cases of rape among girls coming from el-Fasher just over the past week.
The victims arrived in the nearby town of Tawila and recounted being raped either in el-Fasher or on the way out by RSF fighters.
Speaking to Al Jazeera from Tawila, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher described “unimaginable suffering”.
“Darfur has become the world’s capital of human suffering,” he said, adding that international funding and support are woefully insufficient to address the needs on the ground.
