Sudan’s military announced on Tuesday, June 17 that it had successfully repelled an attack by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan, near the critical road linking Kadugli and Dilling. The assault, launched by the rebel group led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, comes months after the Army reclaimed and reopened the route in February 2025. Army spokesperson Brigadier General Nabil Abdallah confirmed that the SPLM-N force was neutralised, with weapons, combat vehicles, and tanks seized during the engagement.
Meanwhile, fighting raged for a second day in neighboring West Kordofan, where the army clashed with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the strategic town of Babanusa. According to military sources, the RSF launched a coordinated attack at dawn after receiving reinforcements and employing artillery and aerial strikes. Army units held their positions in the northern and eastern parts of the town, reportedly destroying several RSF vehicles. The renewed offensive marks a significant escalation after a year-long lull in RSF activity in the area.
The intensifying conflict between the army, SPLM-N, and RSF has deepened the humanitarian crisis in the Kordofan region. In South Kordofan, widespread famine and acute shortages of medicine and food are threatening lives in the major towns. In West Kordofan, while the RSF controls much of the territory—including the capital El-Fula—the army maintains a hold on Babanusa and vital oil installations in Heglig, making the region a volatile and strategically crucial battleground.