The Sudanese army is close to ending the prolonged siege of Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan State, after regaining strategic positions on Sunday, according to military sources. The city has been under blockade by a coalition of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu since the early stages of the conflict that erupted in 2023.
Although government forces managed in February 2025 to reconnect Kadugli with Dilling, the state’s second-largest city, the RSF and SPLM-N later recaptured the strategic Junction area in December 2025, reimposing the isolation and worsening humanitarian conditions in Kadugli.
Shortages of food and medicine have displaced thousands of civilians, forcing many to flee toward North Kordofan or seek refuge in SPLM-N-controlled areas of the Nuba Mountains. On January 26, 2026, the army and allied Joint Force units lifted the siege on Dilling following intense fighting, reopening supply routes from North Kordofan.
Most recently, military units advancing from Dilling seized the Al-Dashol area on the national highway linking the two cities, while drone strikes targeted RSF and SPLM-N positions in the Junction area, Al-Dashol, and Kiga Al-Khail.
The Army said the operations are aimed at clearing the route for ground forces to advance into Kadugli and fully break the blockade.
