Fighting in Sudan's Kordofan region has intensified since late 2025, establishing it as a central battleground in the ongoing war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict began in April 2023.
The vast Kordofan region, comprising North, West, and South Kordofan states, serves as a critical corridor linking the army-held central parts of Sudan with the RSF-controlled Darfur region in the west.
In recent months, the SAF has successfully dislodged the RSF from significant portions of North Kordofan. The territorial shift marks a renewed focus by the army to regain control over key areas.
The conflict in Kordofan is increasingly aerial. Drone strikes on towns in North Kordofan have become more frequent and lethal, damaging civilian infrastructure across the region.
Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), an independent monitor, shows that one in five recorded attacks in Sudan since April 2023 occurred in Kordofan. Between April 15, 2023, and Sept. 19, 2026, ACLED documented 14,648 attacks across Sudan.
The SAF was associated with 52 percent of these recorded attacks, while the RSF accounted for 34.7 percent. Other actors were responsible for the remaining 13.3 percent.
The balance of attacks has shifted over the war's duration. The SAF recorded more attacks than the RSF during the initial 18 months. The RSF then surpassed the SAF in attack numbers from late 2024 to mid-2025.
Since August 2025, monthly attack counts between the two factions have been closer, with the SAF generally recording a slightly higher number, even as overall attack frequency has sharply declined.
Attention shifted to Kordofan following the fall of el-Fasher in October 2025. El-Fasher was the last major city in Darfur held by the army and its allies; its capture by the RSF underscored the strategic importance of the Kordofan corridor.
Across Kordofan's three states, 2,717 attacks were recorded. North Kordofan saw the highest concentration with 1,205 attacks, representing 44 percent of the region's total. South Kordofan recorded 789 attacks, and West Kordofan had 723.
Within North Kordofan, Sheikan locality alone accounted for 497 attacks, or 41 percent of the state's total incidents.
Sudan remains broadly divided, with the SAF controlling the capital, Khartoum, and most of the north, east and center. The RSF maintains control over the west, including nearly all of Darfur and parts of Kordofan. Smaller armed groups, such as the RSF-allied Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), hold territory pockets in the south.
