2.3.2. Conflict dynamics and tactics

In West Kordofan, the RSF took control of the state capital Al-Fula on 20 June 2024,779 described by Ayin network as ‘the first major RSF advance in several months’, putting the RSF in control of major oil fields in the area.780 During the reference period, repeated clashes were reported between the SAF and the RSF in and around Babanusa.781 As of September 2024, an RSF siege of the SAF military garrison in Babanusa that had commenced in January 2024782 was reported to be ongoing but making little progress.783 The Misseriya, the largest ethnic group in the region, reportedly remained split in its support for the conflict parties.784

In February 2024, SPLM-N-al-Hilu seized Habila town in South Kordofan from the RSF,785 leading to a counterattack by the RSF which turned into fighting between RSF-affiliated Arab tribes and Nuba.786 In March 2024, further clashes between the RSF and SPLM-N-al-Hilu reportedly occurred in Umm Safifa and Karkaraya.787 According to the October 2024 report by the UN Secretary-General, South Kordofan witnessed an increase in violence from June 2024 involving the SAF, the RSF and the SPLM-N-al-Hilu,788 the three main armed groups in the state, each trying to expand their territorial control there.789 As of August 2024, clashes escalated in Dilling as the SAF tried to break a blockade imposed by the SPLM-N on their supply lines. Meanwhile, the state capital Kadugli remained besieged by the RSF, and the restriction of commercial flows caused food prices to soar.790

In North Kordofan, the RSF and the SAF reportedly clashed repeatedly, particularly in and around the state capital El Obeid.791 An attack on a village near El Obeid in October 2024 reportedly resulted in 20 deaths.792 In May 2024, the SAF managed to recapture Jabal Al-Ain military base 20 km outside the city.793 That same month, the RSF captured Umm Rawaba area on the road connecting North Kordofan and White Nile state.794  

According to the report by the UN Secretary-General on the Situation in Abyei covering the period from October 2023 to mid-April 2024, the security situation there remained tense, witnessing a rise in casualties due to intercommunal clashes in southern and central Abyei, especially between the Ngok Dinka and Twic Dinka communities.795 For the reference period mid-April to the end of September 2024, the UN Secretary-General noted that the security situation was still tense but witnessed a decrease in kidnapping incidents and intercommunal violence.796 In July 2024, SAF forces withdrew from Al-Meiram area near Abyei to South Sudan following clashes with the RSF.797