Military sources told Anadolu on Thursday 5 November that Sudan's army and allied forces had recaptured Kazgeil and Abu Qaoud south of El Obeid after clashes with the Rapid Support Forces. Parallel army-aligned reports claim Al-Hamadi in South Kordofan. The claims have not been independently verified.
Sudan's army regained control of two areas in North Kordofan on Thursday 5 November after clashes with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), military sources told Anadolu. The sources said the army and allied forces recaptured Kazgeil and Abu Qaoud, about 45 kilometres south of El Obeid, the state capital, after fierce fighting. They claimed heavy RSF losses and the destruction of dozens of combat vehicles. Army personnel shared social-media videos purportedly showing their entry; Anadolu did not independently verify the footage.
Kazgeil and Abu Qaoud lie on a supply route leading toward South Kordofan, Anadolu reported. The same day, Sudan Nabaa said the army and allies had also taken El-Mamsouka, between El Obeid and Umm Semaima, and Al-Hamadi in South Kordofan, and were advancing toward Al-Debibat. Al Jazeera Arabic covered the North Kordofan pair in the same news cycle. CERHA found no independent confirmation of the place-name claims.
Wider Kordofan fighting
The announcements came amid escalating fighting across North, West and South Kordofan. Anadolu noted that the army had previously announced control of Umm Marahik in Al-Khuwei locality of West Kordofan, near the West–North Kordofan border, and said it had regained 11 areas in North Kordofan in recent weeks. Those earlier and parallel claims are attributed to the army and its allies.
Neither the RSF nor the RSF-led Tasis alliance issued an immediate detailed rebuttal of the Kazgeil, Abu Qaoud or Al-Hamadi claims that CERHA could locate. Access for independent reporters remains limited, and battlefield statements from both sides of Sudan's war, which began in April 2023, are routinely difficult to verify. The United Nations and international agencies estimate that tens of thousands have been killed and about 13 million people displaced.
Image: Everyday shopping at a market in Al-Ubayyid (El Obeid), North Kordofan, Sudan. Shaaiixx, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.