The Sudan Kordofan conflict has escalated sharply in central Sudan, with the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces both deploying drones in growing numbers and civilians fleeing several towns. In the most recent escalation, reported in late September 2026, the Sudanese Armed Forces shot down a drone near the town of Bara in North Kordofan, the second such interception within a week. RSF fighters forced thousands of residents out of Hamrat al-Sheikh, Al-Mazroub and Umm Badr. Aid workers also reported collapsing food supplies and surging prices across West Kordofan state, citing RSF blockades, according to Sudan Tribune.
The Sudan Kordofan Conflict Intensifies in North Kordofan
Sudan’s army intercepted the drone as it approached Bara, a North Kordofan town the army has fought to hold through months of clashes. Sudan Tribune described the aircraft as an FH-95 type drone. This was the second drone that Sudan’s army shot down near its positions in under a week. Sudan Tribune reported that the pace of these interceptions points to heavy drone deployment by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces across central Sudan.
Bara sits in North Kordofan state, part of the wider Kordofan region that stretches between the capital Khartoum and the western region of Darfur. Kordofan has become one of the more active fronts in Sudan’s civil war, and the Bara interception is the latest sign that both sides are contesting it hard. Sudan Tribune’s September 24 report frames the repeated drone intercepts as evidence of a shift toward heavier use of unmanned aircraft on this front.
Drone Warfare Spreads Across the Kordofan Front
Drones have moved from an occasional tactic to a recurring feature of the fighting in central Sudan. Neither the Sudanese Armed Forces nor the Rapid Support Forces has said how many drones it operates, but the back-to-back interceptions near Bara, a week apart, show both sides are flying them often enough to draw repeated fire from army air defenses. Sudan Tribune’s reporting ties the pattern directly to the broader contest for towns across North and West Kordofan.
The drones give both the army and the RSF a way to strike or watch targets from a distance, over Kordofan’s open terrain, without moving fighters forward first. The FH-95 drone shot down near Bara is one entry in that exchange. Sudan Tribune’s account does not detail every strike or interception this month, but it singles out the frequency of these incidents as the clearest sign of how central aerial weapons have become to the fighting in Kordofan.
Civilians Flee Three Kordofan Towns as RSF Advances
RSF fighters forced thousands of civilians out of Hamrat al-Sheikh, Al-Mazroub and Umm Badr, Sudan Tribune reported. Displaced residents fled toward the towns of Al-Dabbah and Omdurman, seeking safer ground away from the fighting. The scale of these evacuations adds to a displacement crisis that the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, has tracked across Sudan since the civil war began.
In the town of Fuja, the RSF shut down Starlink satellite internet hubs, cutting a communication line that residents and aid workers had relied on. In Wad Abu Saq, RSF forces detained at least seven residents. Sudan Tribune’s report also describes dozens of arrests of civilians accused of spying for the army, though it does not say how many of those arrests happened in Wad Abu Saq itself.
RSF Blockade Deepens Hunger in West Kordofan
Aid workers documented worsening food shortages across West Kordofan state, according to Sudan Tribune. They said food supplies have collapsed and prices have surged because RSF blockades are choking off supply routes into the state. The blockades add a hunger crisis on top of the fighting, compounding pressure on families who have already lost their homes.
UNHCR’s Sudan emergency page describes the broader toll of Sudan’s war as one of the world’s largest displacement crises, a backdrop against which the latest reports from West Kordofan fit. Residents who fled Hamrat al-Sheikh, Al-Mazroub and Umm Badr toward Al-Dabbah and Omdurman now face shortages that extend well beyond the towns they left.
The Road Ahead in Kordofan
Sudan Tribune’s September 24 report does not say when the fighting in Kordofan might ease, and neither the Sudanese Armed Forces nor the Rapid Support Forces has set out a plan to pull back from the towns involved. The drone intercepts near Bara suggest both sides intend to keep contesting North Kordofan’s towns rather than agree to a local pause. Aid workers’ accounts of collapsing food supplies in West Kordofan point to a humanitarian need that will keep growing for as long as the RSF blockades stay in place.
Tamara News has covered other conflicts and mass-casualty events in recent weeks, including South Africa’s tavern shootings that killed 28 people and Russia’s missile strikes on a Kyiv academy and hospital. Away from the fighting, regional infrastructure projects such as the Ethiopia-Djibouti fuel pipeline deal with Dangote continue to move forward, a reminder of how unevenly conflict and investment are distributed across the region. For now, Hamrat al-Sheikh, Al-Mazroub and Umm Badr remain emptied of the residents RSF fighters forced out, and the families who reached Al-Dabbah and Omdurman face an uncertain path home.
Sudan Conflict: Common Questions
What is happening in Sudan’s Kordofan region?
Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has intensified in North and West Kordofan, with heavy drone use on both sides and large civilian evacuations, according to Sudan Tribune’s reporting from late September 2026.
What drone did Sudan’s army shoot down near Bara?
Sudan Tribune identified it as an FH-95 type drone. Sudan’s army intercepted it near Bara in North Kordofan, marking the second drone shot down near army positions in under a week.
Which towns did civilians flee?
RSF fighters forced thousands of civilians out of Hamrat al-Sheikh, Al-Mazroub and Umm Badr. Displaced residents fled toward Al-Dabbah and Omdurman.
What happened to internet access in Fuja?
The RSF shut down Starlink satellite internet hubs in the town of Fuja, according to Sudan Tribune.
Why are aid workers concerned about West Kordofan?
Aid workers documented collapsing food supplies and surging prices across West Kordofan state, which they attributed to RSF blockades on supply routes.
Who are the two sides fighting in Sudan?
The conflict is between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Sudan’s national army, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group.
Sources
- Sudan Tribune — Sudan army downs second drone in a week near Bara as RSF forces mass evacuations in Kordofan. https://sudantribune.com/?p=319198
- UNHCR — Sudan emergency. https://www.unhcr.org/emergencies/sudan-emergency