Sudan’s army claims a supply-route gain as the pound’s collapse deepens hardship

Sudan’s pound had lost nearly half its value in army-held territory between the start of the summer and September, pushing basic goods beyond many families’ reach, according to Al Jazeera. Now the army is claiming another battlefield gain in North Kordofan. The advance could put pressure on its rival’s supply routes, but it comes in a country where military successes have done little to ease the struggle to afford food.

The Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, said on Friday that it had captured al-Mazroub after fierce fighting with the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF. Al Jazeera described the town as one of the paramilitary group’s most important positions in North Kordofan. The reported capture adds to recent army gains in a region that has become a central battleground in the war, which began in April 2023.

A town linking rival strongholds

Mohamed Deidan, spokesman for the army’s special forces, told Anadolu news agency that the army had taken full control of al-Mazroub. He said the town connects army-controlled North Kordofan with West Kordofan, an RSF stronghold. Deidan presented its capture as a significant move in the campaign to sever the paramilitary group’s supply lines and a turning point in the regional fighting.

The capture of al-Mazroub marks an important step towards cutting RSF supply lines, according to army special forces spokesman Mohamed Deidan.

The broader territorial picture remains divided. The army holds Khartoum and most of Sudan’s north, east and centre, having recovered the capital and other central areas after early setbacks. The RSF still controls almost all of Darfur and parts of Kordofan. Its seizure of el-Fasher in October 2025 removed the army’s last major Darfur stronghold and pushed the main front eastwards. South Kordofan remains contested, with the RSF-allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North holding pockets of territory in the south.

Fighting is also escalating in southeastern Blue Nile state. On Saturday, the army’s Fourth Infantry Division said its troops and supporting forces had struck the RSF and its ally in Minza and Bashkarkad, inflicting heavy losses and blocking advances towards army positions. Separately, Blue Nile Governor Ahmed al-Omda Badi said air defences intercepted RSF drones attacking his house. He gave no casualty or damage figures. Al Jazeera reported no RSF comment on that statement.

Gains without economic relief

The cost to civilians continues to mount. The war has spread to 13 of Sudan’s 18 states and displaced 14 million people. In July, the International Organization for Migration said newly displaced people across Kordofan numbered more than 219,000, nearly two-thirds higher than in February. An Al Jazeera analysis of data from conflict monitor ACLED found that Kordofan accounted for about 19.7% of recorded attacks during the war, second only to Khartoum.

Hunger is another measure of the crisis. In May, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, which assesses hunger severity, said about 19.5 million people—more than 40% of the population—faced acute hunger. Fourteen areas across North Darfur, South Darfur and South Kordofan were at risk of famine. About 825,000 children were projected to suffer severe acute malnutrition this year.

The next test is whether the army’s claimed capture of al-Mazroub translates into lasting pressure on RSF supply routes. Fighting in Blue Nile and the RSF’s extensive western holdings show why a wider outcome remains unsettled. For households, the equally pressing question is whether changing front lines bring any relief from displacement, hunger and the loss of purchasing power.