The civil war in Sudan continues to expand into new regions.

After seizing full control of Darfur, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have pushed their offensive into neighboring North Kordofan, where more than 36,000 civilians fled last week, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

Heavy fighting has swept through villages and towns in North Kordofan since the RSF, a paramilitary group battling the regular army, captured the last government stronghold in Al Fasher, Darfur.

Local residents told AFP that “entire cities have become military targets,” underscoring the escalating violence. 

The army and the RSF are now battling for control of El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan and a vital logistical and command center previously recaptured by government forces in February.

“Today we are joining all our forces at the Bara front,” said an RSF fighter in a video released Sunday night. 

Where is the Kordofan region in Sudan?

The broader Kordofan region—divided into North, South, and West Kordofan—“will likely be the next major battlefield for both sides,” warned Martha Pobee, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa.

She denounced “large-scale atrocities” and “ethnic reprisals” committed by the RSF, comparing their actions to the violence witnessed in Darfur. 

According to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), these acts could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute. The international community has urged an immediate ceasefire, but diplomatic efforts have so far failed. 

Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a brutal power struggle between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, commander of the national army and de facto ruler since the 2021 coup, and General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, head of the RSF. The conflict has killed thousands, displaced millions, and pushed the country to the brink of total collapse.