Intense Fighting Around Kordofan: Sudan War Enters Third Year, Country Faces Division Risk

International Desk: PNN

As Sudan enters its third year of brutal war, the fighting has intensified in the Kordofan region, threatening to divide the country. In December, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) expanded their attacks, capturing key oil infrastructure and blockading major cities, while government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) conducted intense airstrikes.

On December 8, RSF captured the critical Heglig oil field in West Kordofan. Subsequently, a tripartite agreement among SAF, RSF, and the Juba government deployed South Sudanese forces to secure the oil field and prevent its use in the conflict. Kordofan has now emerged as a new war center. RSF claimed control over Babnusa, though the army denied losing the city. RSF maintained an “external blockade” in Kadugli and Dilling cities and advanced toward El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan.

Drone warfare has been employed by both sides. Attacks on Atbara power station in the Nile River state plunged key cities into darkness. At least 116 people, including 46 children, were killed in attacks on a preschool and hospital in Kalogi, South Kordofan.

The United Nations stated that for 2026, its humanitarian fund will be reduced to $23 billion, leading the World Food Program to threaten a 70% reduction in food distribution from January. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has placed Sudan at the top of its 2026 emergency list. Approximately 1,300 cases of sexual assault by RSF have been documented, being used as a weapon of war. Child malnutrition and food scarcity are also rapidly increasing.

Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris presented a peace plan to the UN Security Council, proposing RSF withdrawal and non-interference, which RSF rejected. SAF chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan stated from Turkey that the war will only end with RSF surrender and disarmament. Former Prime Minister Abdala Hamdok of Nairobi and rebel leader Abdelwahid Al-Nur, along with civilian leaders, have united for a new opposition battle.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has intensified diplomatic efforts, and the US Treasury has sanctioned four Colombian citizens and a company for recruiting mercenaries for RSF. The ICC sentenced Ali Kushayb, a former leader of Janjaweed in Darfur, to 20 years imprisonment for war crimes—the first judicial verdict in the region.