The Sudanese Army announced this Sunday that it has taken control of the so-called Export Road, a key route that links the large city of Omdurman, located near the capital Khartoum, with the city of El Obeid, in North Kordofan state, currently the scene of a severe humanitarian catastrophe in the context of the armed conflict that has plagued the African country for three years.
This road constitutes the main corridor for the shipment of humanitarian aid and, in the current situation, also for the movement of troops destined to combat the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Control of the road has been achieved after 48 hours of intense clashes, during which the Sudanese Army has consolidated its dominance over the area of Raheed Al Nuba, on the outskirts of Omdurman, as well as over the towns of Um Sayala, Bara, and Jabrat Al Sheij, according to a military spokesperson in a statement.
The government forces have added that they have also "liberated" the areas of Um Qurfa and Jarigakh, thus completing the takeover of the road, along which the Fifth Infantry Division is already advancing. Export Road had remained under the control of the RSF practically since the beginning of the war in April 2023.
The Rapid Support Forces, it should be noted, have besieged El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, and have increased their air attacks, while the United Nations and various humanitarian organizations warn of a possible imminent offensive similar to that recorded in El Fasher, the historical capital of the neighboring region of Darfur, at the end of last year, which, according to United Nations (UN) experts, exhibited all the characteristics of a "genocide."
One of the main allies of the Sudanese government, the governor of Darfur, Minni Minawi, has applauded these advances in a message disseminated on social media: "What has been achieved today is not the end of the battle, but the beginning of a new phase of decisive action," he stated.