Could Recapture of Bara Reshape the Military Supply Routes Between Khartoum And Darfur?

In the west, where the roads of Kordofan and Darfur intersect, fighting intensified, turning small towns into strategic choke points that would determine the course of the wider war.

Among these towns, Bara, on September 11, 2025, shifted from a bloody battlefield to a symbol of a tactical victory that restored the army’s initiative, while bringing down a number of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia’s top commanders who had bet on taking control.

The Importance of Bara

In recent months, fighting has intensified on multiple fronts, yet attention has remained fixed on the west, where the fiercest battles are unfolding in the states of Kordofan and Darfur.

In this complex landscape, the small town of Bara has emerged as a model of how even minor towns can become pivotal battlegrounds, transforming into a decisive station after the army recaptured it in one of its critical operations in the region.

The Sudanese army, engaged in a prolonged war of attrition, understands that partial victories in towns and small settlements form indispensable footholds in the wider course of the conflict.

The recapture of Bara was more than a battlefield success; it was a strategic move that redrew supply lines and opened the way toward northern Darfur, where the army is attempting to break the siege of el Fashir, the regional capital and a key stronghold resisting the RSF militia.

Bara lies just 40 kilometers from el-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, and serves as a vital junction connecting Sudan’s various states.

It is also a central node in the national export route linking the west with the central, northern, and eastern regions.

For years, Bara was the closest point controlled by the RSF militia en route to Khartoum, making it a persistent threat to the capital and a base for their attacks.

Control of the town effectively secures el-Obeid and cuts off any attempt to advance toward the country’s capital via this axis.

Destruction of 449

According to the local newspaper al-Tayyar on September 16, the recapture of Bara came at a sensitive moment, coinciding with the RSF militia intensifying their push to take el Fashir and seize control of Darfur’s capital.

This is where the significance of the victory lies. While the rebels sought to consolidate their influence in Darfur, the army was working to carve a path through Kordofan and the desert toward the heart of the region.

Military sources told the paper that the victory at Bara positioned the army to launch a large-scale offensive from two main axes within Darfur, in an effort to shift the balance of power on the ground and break the siege of el Fashir.

For a long time, Bara had served as a key stronghold for the RSF militia in North Kordofan, hosting large troop concentrations that exerted crippling pressure on el Obeid, before the army managed to lift the siege on February 23, 2025.

The decisive battle, however, came on September 11, when Colonel Ahmed Hussein, spokesperson for the Joint Force of Armed Struggle Movements, announced that Bara had been fully liberated after fierce fighting on its outskirts.

Hussein said the operation “broke the enemy’s backbone,” ending with the destruction of the militia’s “Group 449.”

He added that the militia fighters retreated in disarray, leaving behind dead and wounded, along with large quantities of destroyed military equipment.

Hussein noted that “with this victory, the RSF militia has lost one of their most important strongholds in North Kordofan, while the army has strengthened its position along the strategic route linking el Obeid and Darfur.”

RSF Militia Losses

At the heart of the battle to liberate Bara, the RSF militia suffered a crippling blow with the loss of several of their top field commanders in North Kordofan.

Ahmed, commander of the Bara unit and brother of the RSF militia leader Musa Hilal, was killed while attempting to flee after the militia’s lines collapsed.

His death coincided with the demise of the notorious commander Hassan Rebah, whose name had been linked to a series of horrific massacres of civilians in Um Rawaba and surrounding villages.

Colonel Mohamed Ismail Takizo, leader of the “Abu Ardeeb” mobile unit in the Bara sector, also fell in the same operation.

Meanwhile, Bakri Mahmoud Saleh, head of the RSF militia’ air defense system in North Kordofan, was neutralized during the early hours of the assault.

These successive leadership losses effectively dismantled the militia’s offensive capabilities in the region, paving the way for the army to complete its control of the town.

The cost of victory, however, was not without sacrifice for the army. The joint forces lost field commander Mohamed Ibrahim, one of the senior officers who had led previous strategic battles, from the liberation of al-Jaili refinery and Khartoum, to clashes in al Khawi, Um Samima, and Abu Qawad.

Long-Term Strategy

The Battle of Bara was read not only in military terms but also for its political symbolism. Analysts argued that the town’s recapture was a victory not just over the Rapid Support Forces, but also over the political cover that had long sustained them with support and legitimacy.

Local newspaper al-Sudani, in its report on the Bara victory, stated that “the army is following a clear strategy to defeat the militia on its own turf, and the long-term approach it has adopted is beginning to bear fruit in the west of the country, even if civilians in el Fashir are paying the heaviest price.”

The report added that “control of Bara represents a strategic gain for the army, securing El Obeid airport, which houses an airbase capable of supporting upcoming military operations.”

“Current indicators suggest the war has entered its final stages, and that the Rapid Support Forces militia’ ability to regain the initiative has become impossible under the armed forces’ tight control over the liberated areas.”

On September 12, Nile River State governor Mohamed al-Badawi Abdel-Majid said the recapture of Bara reflected the armed forces’ determination and the effectiveness of their strategy in “cleansing the country of the blight of rebellion.”

He added that the operation helped lift the partial siege of el Obeid, restore civilian life in North Kordofan, and reopen the vital export route linking Khartoum and the region.

Abdel-Majid further stated that “the army’s engagement across all fronts and successive victories demonstrate its ability to crush the rebellion, despite the massive logistical support it has received from certain international and regional actors.”

He also called for enhanced support for the army through expanded training camps, equipping reservists, and dispatching supply convoys to various fronts.

Celebration and Warning

Minister of Culture and Information Khalid al-Ayser wrote that “the victory achieved in Bara has many facets of beauty, but the most striking is that it silenced those who doubted the sincerity of the national mission, claiming that military operations would stop at Khartoum’s borders, ignoring a truth deeply rooted in the hearts of Sudanese: that every part of the country is our homeland.”

Al-Ayser added in a Facebook post on September 12, that “the most vivid expression of this triumph was seen in the massive popular processions that took place across Sudan’s states, from Al-Jazeera to Kassala, from the Northern state to White Nile, and from Khartoum to South Kordofan.”

“Women, children, and elders took to the streets to express profound national pride, chanting that dignity can only be restored through the liberation of the land and the safeguarding of sovereignty,” al-Ayser said.

The minister noted that this popular response reflects a growing national awareness that what is unfolding is not merely military battles against mercenary militias, but a struggle for existence, reconstruction, and justice.

“The Sudanese people, as they celebrate the liberation of Bara in North Kordofan, are sending a clear message to our communities in West Kordofan and Darfur: the march continues toward you with unwavering determination and inexhaustible patience.”

“Salute to the proud people, to the armed forces, our joint forces, the police, the intelligence service, the reservists, and all supporting actors who have placed their hearts in the hands of the nation,” he added.

Nevertheless, the local newspaper al-Tayyar warned on September 17 of a potential setback, noting that the Rapid Support Forces had yet to issue any statement regarding their loss of control over Bara.

Observers cited by the paper do not rule out the possibility that the militias may respond militarily, potentially carrying out drone strikes against several strategic and military sites in the newly liberated town.

The Beginning of Eradication

Sudanese politician Mohammed al-Jak, a member of the government secretariat in Gedaref State, said the liberation of Bara “represents a major strategic shift in the armed forces’ battle against the rebellion in Kordofan and Darfur,” adding that the victory effectively paves the way for “the complete eradication of militias in the Dar al-Reeh region.”

“The return of Bara to the national fold necessarily means the reintegration of Jabra al-Sheikh and Um Garfa, along with all the towns and surrounding areas stretching east to Rahad al-Nuba, and west and north across the entirety of Jabra al-Sheikh locality. The defeated militia remnants will have no capacity to resist or survive a single day in these areas,” al-Jak told Al-Estiklal.

“The liberation of Bara is not merely local in significance, it also reopens the route between the capital and the towns of northern and western Kordofan via the export road, the shortest artery of trade and communication linking these states to Khartoum.”

“The operation relieves the chokehold on el Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, and restores its vital airport to service,” al-Jak noted.

He asserted that the victory in Bara brings the towns of western and southern Kordofan, still under occupation, within the army’s reach, setting the stage for the wider Darfur campaign, saying, “The liberation of Bara marks the beginning of the battles to free Darfur from the Dagalo militia, backed by the UAE, which is now at its weakest militarily and morally.”

He continued, “If the battles of Jebel Moya heralded the return of Madani and Khartoum, the battle of Bara today signals the return of Nyala and ad-Duwaym, and opens the path to breaking the siege of resilient el Fashir. What we are witnessing is the start of a harsh winter for these militias.”

“Congratulations to the people of Bara, who have regained their security after two years of suffering. This victory carries deep symbolic meaning, exposing the militias at their weakest and showing that their leadership is fleeing the battlefield.”

“The joy of Sudanese today at the liberation of Bara is clear proof that our people will not allow these bloodthirsty gangs to remain for even a single day on Sudanese soil,” al-Jak concluded.