The Rapid Support Forces are losing ground fast.
Sudan’s civil war has entered a new phase as Iranian retaliation against Israel and the United Arab Emirates severs critical supply lines to the paramilitary group, fundamentally altering the battlefield dynamics that have defined twenty months of brutal conflict.
Supply Lines Severed By Regional War
The UAE and Israel have backed the RSF with weapons and funding since fighting erupted in April 2023.
Iranian missile and drone strikes launched since 28 February have closed the Strait of Hormuz, choking off the Emirates shipping and oil export routes while simultaneously disrupting the flow of military supplies to Sudanese battlefields.
The economic shock to Abu Dhabi has been severe, with Hormuz remaining a critical chokepoint for regional commerce.
Sudanese Army Gains Momentum
Government forces have reversed months of RSF advances.
The Canary reported that while the paramilitary had been making strong gains until February, the situation has now shifted dramatically.
However, Sudanese government forces have achieved a string of military victories that appear to be turning into a rout.
The Sudanese Armed Forces are systematically targeting RSF arms depots and severing frontline troops from ammunition, fuel, and essential supplies needed to sustain combat operations.
On Thursday, the army announced the capture of Jort East and Ballamo Camp in the Blue Nile region, areas that have witnessed intense fighting since January.
The 4th Infantry Division confirmed its troops and allied forces cleared these positions following battles against both the RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North faction led by Joseph Touka.
Military officials described the operation as part of a broader campaign to secure strategic locations across the southern sector.
Civilian Casualties Mount From Drone Warfare
Both factions are escalating attacks on non-combatants.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk expressed horror at the civilian toll, reporting more than 200 deaths from drone strikes since 4 March. Sudanese army drone attacks in West Kordofan killed at least 152 civilians, including 50 who died when a market and hospital were hit in Muglad on 4 March.
Additional army strikes on markets in Abu Zabad and Wad Banda on 7 March left at least 40 dead, while a truck carrying civilians was targeted in Al-Sunut on 10 March, reportedly killing 50 more.
The RSF has responded with its own aerial assaults, heavily targeting the White Nile region since 4 March. An RSF drone struck a secondary school and health clinic in Shukeiri village on 11 March, killing at least 17 civilians.
Instability Spills Into South Sudan
The regional conflict is drawing in neighboring states.
South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011 only to descend into civil war, extreme poverty, and corruption, is experiencing renewed violence as a fragile 2018 power-sharing agreement unravels.
The deal between President Salva Kiir and detained former vice president Riek Machar has deteriorated sharply over the past year. South Sudanese government forces announced Thursday they had recaptured Akobo, a key opposition stronghold held by Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition.
Akobo is safe, the surrounding areas are safe,
said General Lul Ruai Koang, spokesperson for the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces.
The offensive prompted an army evacuation order that caused approximately 200,000 civilians to flee across the border into Ethiopia.