Sudan Nashra: Burhan, Sisi discuss military cooperation | RSF captures Nuhud, West Kordofan | Burhan appoints ambassador to Saudi Arabia as acting prime minister

As Sudan’s war enters its third year, the warring factions remain committed to a military resolution, indifferent to what the United Nations has described as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

On the battlefield, the Rapid Support Forces captured the city of Nuhud on Friday — the temporary capital of West Kordofan State — after the military withdrew from its last position east of the city earlier this morning.

Strategically located at the intersection linking the Kordofan, Darfur and Northern states, Nuhud’s capture marks a major blow to the military’s efforts to push into Darfur and puts the city of Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, at serious risk.

Politically, Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) head and Sudanese Armed Forces commander-in-chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan appointed Sudan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dafallah al-Hajj Ali, as acting prime minister — marking the first change in the post since the transitional government was overthrown on October 25, 2021.

Hajj, who previously served as Burhan’s envoy at the outset of the war and is considered a trusted figure, has been granted broad powers that would allow him to restructure the government, a source in the Sovereignty Council told Mada Masr.

On the diplomatic front, Burhan met with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Monday. The talks concluded with an agreement to elevate military cooperation between the two countries to its highest levels. Cairo also secured commitments for Egyptian companies to lead Sudan’s post-war reconstruction, particularly in rebuilding state infrastructure. The two leaders also addressed the growing threat posed by modern combat drones acquired by the RSF, which now pose a serious risk to critical civilian infrastructure.

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Burhan appoints former envoy as acting prime minister

On Wednesday, Sudanese military and sovereignty council chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan appointed Sudan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dafallah al-Hajj Ali, as acting prime minister — the first such appointment since the military and the RSF ousted the transitional civilian government in October, 2021.

Hajj’s appointment was recommended by a committee of high-level experts, a senior source in the sovereignty council told Mada Masr. He emerged early on as the leading candidate, a source in the Cabinet’s general secretariat told Mada Masr in March, during a push to form what Burhan called a “caretaker” government after constitutional amendments by the TSC and the Cabinet granted the current ruling parties another 39-month transitional term.

A Cabinet source said the new government will focus on restructuring state institutions and public services, improving local governance, responding to the impact of the ongoing war and developing strategic reconstruction plans.

A source at the TSC’s general secretariat said Hajj’s government will hold broad executive authority under the amended constitution ratified in February — powers that also apply to the armed movements signatories to the Juba Peace Agreement, who have so far operated with considerable autonomy within the government.

Awaiting the incoming prime minister is a range of complex challenges that may require broad reviews of state bodies, including redefining the relationship between the Cabinet and the sovereignty council as well as drawing clearer lines around intervention powers and oversight, according to the source. One of the key changes under discussion is revoking the sovereignty council’s supervisory role over ministries.

The current decree has TSC deputy chair Malik Agar overseeing the ministries of energy and petroleum, education, social development, higher education, health, culture and media, youth and sports, and religious affairs and endowments. 

Deputy commander of the military and TSC member Shams Eddin Kabbashi has been assigned the ministries of Cabinet affairs, foreign affairs, interior, federal governance, minerals, justice and irrigation and water resources.

Military assistant commander and TSC member Yasser al-Atta has been tasked with supervising the ministries of defense and finance and economic planning, as well as the Central Bank of Sudan, the Public Prosecution and the National Audit Chamber. 

Military assistant commander and TSC member Ibrahim Gaber is charged with overseeing the ministries of animal resources, agriculture, trade and supply, industry, investment and international cooperation, communications and transportation.

Hajj, who joined the Foreign Ministry in 1980 and rose to the rank of undersecretary, holds significant influence within the ministry, according to a former diplomat. This has positioned him to shape foreign policy, particularly Sudan’s relations with its allies. Following the outbreak of the war in 2023, Burhan appointed him as his special envoy.

The former official suggested that Hajj may be able to build considerable sway across state institutions, distancing himself from old power circles tied to the military leadership or the former regime.

A senior military source told Mada Masr that Burhan’s trust in Hajj grants him the political latitude needed to define the government's direction and consolidate his authority.

Hajj is expected to focus on boosting foreign funding to cover the fiscal deficit during the second half of the year, with attention turning toward countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, a source at the Finance Ministry told Mada Masr. 

According to the sovereignty council source, Hajj’s first move as prime minister was to recommend appointing Omar Seddig as foreign minister — a recommendation that Burhan also approved on Wednesday.

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Burhan, Sisi discuss military cooperation, expanded security arrangements 

On Monday, Burhan, accompanied by a high-level delegation, met with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo, where the two held talks focused on three main areas: strengthening military cooperation, expanding bilateral security arrangements and supporting Sudan’s reconstruction efforts. 

According to a source in the sovereignty council, the two leaders discussed shared national security concerns — particularly in light of recent crises in Sudan the source said were brought about by the RSF’s acquisition of modern military drones.

A military source familiar with the visit said the second issue on the table was boosting military cooperation, especially in air defense systems and strategic weaponry, as well as joint training programs and capacity-building. Discussions also touched on advancing security and defense agreements aimed at bolstering both countries’ national security.

The third topic, according to the TSC source, concerned reconstruction efforts, particularly in infrastructure and government facilities. Sudan, the source said, is looking to draw on Egypt’s experience in developing its new administrative capital and infrastructure projects.

During the meeting, Burhan expressed Sudan’s openness to Egyptian investment, telling Sisi that the country is ready to welcome Egyptian companies, according to the source. The source added that bilateral ties are poised for significant growth as reconstruction plans move forward.

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Chinese chargé d’affaires summoned over RSF drones, denies ties to paramilitary 

China has denied having any direct or indirect ties to the RSF, according to a source in Sudan’s Foreign Ministry who spoke to Mada Masr.

The ministry called in the Chinese chargé d'affaires in Port Sudan, Zhang Xianghua, on Monday in response to the RSF’s use of Chinese-made drones in attacks on both civilian and military targets across Sudan.

Zhang firmly denied any connection between Beijing and the RSF, stressing that China maintains no relationship with the paramilitary group, the source told Mada Masr.

A senior source in the military’s General Command told Mada Masr that the RSF has been deploying a range of strategic combat drones, including Chinese-made models acquired through companies based in Abu Dhabi. The source said that the drones were originally procured by Emirati entities specifically for the RSF.

According to Reuters, the Emirati Foreign Ministry said in February that the United Arab Emirates had "already made absolutely clear that it is not providing any support or supplies to either of two belligerent warring parties in Sudan.”

According to the source, these drones have been used in wide-ranging military operations, including strikes that caused a 30-day blackout in  northern Sudan.

Meanwhile, a government official said that the military has deployed several air defense systems around the Wadi Sidna military base, which came under RSF drone fire last week.

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Rising tensions between Sudan Shield Forces, Justice and Equality Movement

Tensions are growing between armed groups allied with the military, a source in the office of  sovereignty council deputy chair Malik Agar told Mada Masr. The source pointed to ongoing friction between the Sudan Shield Forces, led by Abu Agla Keikel, and other factions from the armed movements, most notably the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) headed by Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim.

A source in the Sudan Shield Forces attributed the recent strain to Ibrahim’s intervention in matters related to the lands and people of the Gezira Scheme — the world’s largest irrigation project and one of Africa’s largest agricultural projects — on the basis of his ministerial position. The source accused the armed movements of engaging in ethnically based recruitment within Gezira State, which was retaken from the RSF in January and has since seen mounting ethnic tensions across its localities. 

The Sudan Shield Forces, composed mainly of fighters from local communities surrounding the Gezira Scheme, joined the military’s fight against the RSF following Keikel’s defection from the paramilitary group in October 2024. Keikel, who hails from eastern Gezira, played a key role in the military’s push to reclaim the state capital, Wad Madani.

Meanwhile, the joint force of the armed movements, led by JEM, took part in military operations along Gezira’s eastern front. JEM also facilitated several community meetings in the region. As finance minister and movement leader, Ibrahim took part in multiple gatherings related to the Gezira Scheme. However, some local leaders have viewed this as interference, particularly as the movement has also set up coordination points in several of the scheme’s villages.

In response, JEM deputy spokesperson Hassan Ibrahim denied allegations that the group has engaged in ethnically based recruitment anywhere in Sudan.

“There has been no ethnic recruitment in any Sudanese state. Even those who were trained by the military are now under the command of the military, not the movement,” he told Mada Masr. 

He also dismissed criticism of Gibril’s involvement in the Gezira Scheme, calling it "ridiculous." Hassan argued that the minister has contributed more to the scheme’s communities than any of the voices currently criticizing him, adding that he has supported the scheme even beyond his official remit as finance minister.

The deputy spokesperson also claimed that JEM was the only entity to relocate thousands of displaced people from eastern states to Gezira, using its own funds as part of an initiative called Rageen (we’re coming back) — a move, he noted, the government itself failed to carry out.

Regarding claims that the movement has avoided fighting in Fasher, the spokesperson dismissed them as “cheap blackmail” and a desperate attempt to discredit JEM’s achievements. He emphasized that the movement helped liberate Gezira State and the national radio and television headquarters, and remains active on multiple fronts — including Fasher, as well as other regions in Darfur, Kordofan, Sennar and Northern State.

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RSF captures Nuhud, military withdraws 

After heavy clashes with the military and allied forces, the RSF pushed into the city of Nuhud, the administrative capital of West Kordofan State, on Thursday, declaring control over the Nuhud locality. 

Military forces at the 18th Infantry Division held their ground until Friday, before retreating to the nearby town of Khawi along the road to Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State. 

The RSF announced its capture of Nuhud, stating that its forces have inflicted heavy losses on the military in both personnel and equipment. The group also said it seized weapons and ammunition and was pursuing retreating military units on the city’s outskirts. 

The military has yet to issue an official comment on the developments in Nuhud. 

On Thursday, the RSF published a video of its spokesperson Fateh Qureshy, alongside other fighters, at the local government’s headquarters.

Meanwhile, Nuhud’s resistance committees condemned what they described as egregious violations committed by the RSF since the early hours of Thursday. They accused RSF fighters of storming residential neighborhoods, terrorizing unarmed civilians and killing innocent people.

In a statement on Friday, Sudan Doctors Network accused the RSF of killing over 100 people — including 21 children and 15 women — and looting medical supplies, markets and the Nuhud Teaching Hospital, condemning what it described as a “horrific humanitarian crime” carried out by the paramilitary group.

The RSF looted the teaching hospital and destroyed the affiliated medical supply warehouse, as well as private pharmacies, the network said. It warned that the city has lost its last remaining healthcare service provider, which many patients and injured civilians relied on amid the dire conditions.

The paramilitary group launched a coordinated assault, led by armored vehicles, from three directions — northwest via the main road from Fasher, eastward from Jebel Haidoub and southwest through the city’s Ghebeish gate, a local source told Mada Masr. The offensive involved over 250 armed RSF vehicles, the source added.

While the military and mobilized local forces repelled the initial wave — injuring RSF assault commander Ali Rezgallah, known as Savanna, and destroying several RSF combat vehicles — the RSF regrouped, according to the source. With support from sleeper cells inside Nuhud, they launched successive attacks and eventually breached the city.

Local activist Allazem Ibrahim told Mada Masr that RSF forces, under Savanna’s command, had been amassing hundreds of military vehicles in Wad Banda and other areas north and east of Nuhud throughout last week in preparation for the offensive.

According to Ibrahim, the RSF is attempting to shift the battlefield from Darfur to Kordofan to divert military troops coming from Khartoum and central Sudan — forces that would otherwise be deployed to lift the siege on Fasher and target RSF positions across Darfur.

In the days leading up to the attack, the RSF redeployed large numbers of fighters from around Fasher to Wad Banda and the outskirts of Nuhud, placing the city under near-total siege, according to Ibrahim. The military and its allied forces continued to mount a defense of both Nuhud and the broader Dar Homr tribal region.

Resistance fighters affiliated with the Dar Homr leadership are fighting alongside the military in Nuhud, joined by state security units, the armed movements’ joint force and reserve troops. On Tuesday, the military’s air force carried out an airdrop to resupply the 18th Infantry Division with ammunition, weapons and other logistical equipment, a military source told Mada Masr.

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Abdel Rahim Dagalo leads assault on Fasher, military repels attack

On Monday, the RSF launched a coordinated, multi-pronged offensive on defensive positions held by the military and its allied forces in Fasher, North Darfur — the most intense attempt yet to breach the city after months under siege. Heavy clashes ensued, and the military announced it had repelled the attack.

A field source told Mada Masr that Monday’s assault marked the RSF’s 208th attempt to seize Fasher, involving large numbers of fighters backed by artillery, armored vehicles and an array of drones — including strategic, medium-range and suicide variants.

The RSF attack came from three directions: from the north via the Abu Shouk displacement camp, from the east through the main market and from the south toward the Tharwat residential neighborhoods, according to the source. The battle lasted over seven hours before the military, alongside the joint force and local mobilized fighters, repelled the attack, inflicting heavy losses on RSF personnel and equipment, the source said.

Following the failed assault, Fasher came under heavy RSF artillery shelling throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, with strategic drones continuing to hover over the city, according to the source. A medical source in Fasher said at least five civilians were killed and several others injured by the indiscriminate RSF shelling on Tuesday.

Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi stated that RSF Deputy Commander Abdel Rahim Dagalo, who he said personally led the assault, narrowly escaped capture during the fighting. Minnawi added that the offensive was launched along five fronts using the same military apparatus deployed in the April attack on the Zamzam camp.

Fasher’s Sixth Infantry Division Commander Major General Mohamed Ahmed al-Khidr stated that the military inflicted significant casualties and material losses on the RSF, including the killing of the attack’s commander along with many fighters he said were recruited with financial incentives.

Following the defeat, the RSF issued a renewed call in Fasher, offering “safe corridors” for the evacuation of civilians as well as military and joint force troops. The joint force dismissed the message as a “hollow call” issued only after suffering what it described as a “series of crushing defeats” across 208 failed offensives.

Limited clashes resumed on Thursday morning. According to Fasher’s Coordination of Resistance Committees, the military and allied forces repelled another RSF attempt to storm the city. The RSF fighters, they said, fled the battlefield and resumed shelling residential areas instead.

A senior military officer told Mada Masr that military and joint force troops, alongside allied fighters, are now on the verge of entering Darfur — advancing from the Northern State — to launch operations aimed at lifting the siege on Fasher.

Another field source said that large military convoys left Khartoum on Tuesday and Wednesday, crossing Duweim city’s bridge in River Nile State, with some units headed north toward Um Ramta locality in western River Nile State with the aim of encircling remaining RSF elements in the areas of Gamuia and Salha, south of Omdurman, while others advanced westward toward Kordofan, en route to Darfur.

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Clashes break out between military, SPLM-N in South Kordofan

Fighting broke out this week near Kadugli, South Kordofan State, between the military and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, with support from RSF units. The town of Khawi in neighboring West Kordofan also saw clashes between RSF fighters and armed local residents, supported by popular resistance forces.

On Saturday, the RSF and SPLM-N (al-Hilu), which holds significant territory in South Kordofan, launched a surprise attack on military positions in the Qawarir area, north of Heglig and west of Kadugli, a field source told Mada Masr. The military initially withdrew to reorganize before launching a counteroffensive that ultimately regained control of the area, inflicting casualties on the RSF and SPLM-N, destroying four combat vehicles and seizing others, including motorcycles, according to the source.

The SPLM-N (al-Hilu) has been in conflict with the military in their territories in South Kordofan and the southern Blue Nile State since 2011. Following the ousting of former President Omar al-Bashir and in the years leading up to the outbreak of the war in 2023, the Sudanese military and the rebel group existed in a state of neither war nor peace, renewing a ceasefire agreement on an annual basis. Since the war, fighting has resumed between the two — except for a precarious alliance when the RSF attempted incursions into SPLM-N-held areas.

In West Kordofan, RSF forces raided Khawi on Monday, looting vehicles, private property, and markets. In response, local residents armed themselves and retaliated on Wednesday, expelling RSF fighters, reclaiming looted property and seizing three combat vehicles, a local source told Mada Masr, adding that more than 10 RSF fighters were killed and 15 others captured during the clashes.

Khawi had previously seen clashes in September, 2024, between the RSF and military reserve units backed by airstrikes. In addition to its strategic location in West Kordofan serving as a transit point between cities in Kordofan and western Sudan, Khawi is also a key economic hub for gum arabic and livestock.