The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have recaptured two strategic towns in North Kordofan, military officials confirmed this week.

The territorial gains and the grim findings in Darfur underscore the brutal and escalating nature of Sudan's civil war, now in its third year, which has created the world's largest displacement crisis.

Online video footage verified by news agencies shows SAF soldiers celebrating their victory in the towns of Kazqil and Um Dam Haj Ahmed, located south of the strategic state capital of el-Obeid. The recapture marks a significant, if potentially fleeting, victory for the army. Kazqil had been under RSF control since late October, and its location makes it a key prize in the battle for control of central Sudan.

The conflict, which began in April 2023 between rival military factions, has increasingly shifted eastward as the RSF solidifies its hold on the western Darfur region. The RSF launched its offensive into Kordofan last month after capturing el-Fasher, seizing the critical link town of Bara, which the army had retaken just two months prior. This volatile back-and-forth has characterized the fighting, with both sides now amassing troops in central Sudan, signaling more intense battles to come.

Despite a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal that the RSF claimed to accept last week, the SAF has rejected the truce, and fighting continues unabated. (ILKHA)