The RSF renewed its assault on El Obeid through a series of drone strikes that killed two people and injured multiple others (Reuters).
The RSF also conducted drone strikes against the SAF-controlled cities of Atbara, Bahri, El Damer, and Khartoum, according to local witnesses; civilians in Atbara and Khartoum note that this attack constitutes the first RSF-backed drone strikes on their towns since May (Le Monde).
RSF and Allies Retake Strategic Border Town
RSF and SPLM-N joint forces claim to have seized control of Geissan, a town in Sudan’s Blue Nile region; local sources report foreign mercenaries from Ethiopia assisted the offensive (Sudan Tribune).
The SAF maintains that fighting continues and that they retain control of the area’s primary military base; Geissan is strategically important due to its proximity to the Ethiopian border, along critical supply routes and the Reseires Dam (Africa News).
At least twenty civilians in Blue Nile State have been killed in the Geissan town clashes (Sudan Tribune).
Mass Grave Uncovered in Former RSF Territory
The SAF said it discovered mass graves containing the bodies of twenty-five civilians in Kurmuk over a month after retaking the territory from the RSF; similar mass graves have been found in areas recaptured by the SAF in Khartoum and Gezira states (Sudan Tribune).
War Threatens Entire Generations’ Future, UN Finds
Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told an informal UN Security Council session on education in Sudan that eight million school-age children in Sudan––five out of six students––remain out of school, with nearly three-quarters of schools damaged or destroyed in the country’s Darfur region since fighting between the SAF and RSF erupted in 2023 (Al Jazeera).
SAF Drone Strike Targets Darfur Court
A SAF drone strike reportedly killed at least thirty-seven people at a civil court in an RSF-occupied village in the northern Darfur region, rights group Emergency Lawyers documented (Sudan Tribune).
Witnesses report that the death count includes four tribal leaders and two RSF commanders (BBC).
RSF-Backed Coalition Rejects Peace Consultations in Ethiopia
The pro-RSF coalition Tasis declined to join peace consultations in Addis Ababa over procedural flaws, joining a growing list of factions boycotting the negotiations; Tasis spokesman Ahmed Togod Lisan expressed support for international mediation efforts and requested a direct meeting with the international organizations facilitating the talks to set parameters for future dialogue (Sudan Tribune).
RSF Commander Calls for Assault on Khartoum
RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo told his forces to prepare for an assault on Khartoum––citing the capital as their ultimate target––following recent military gains by the SAF in North Kordofan state (Sudan Tribune).
Retreating RSF Troops Attack Civilians
RSF forces retreating from North Kordofan launched reprisal attacks against civilians in the area, looting local markets and residential homes, and arresting residents accused of collaborating with the SAF; these assaults coincided with SAF-backed drone attacks on RSF convoys, and the Sudanese military’s recent advances in the region (Sudan Tribune).
Boeing Planes Used to Supply RSF, Independent Investigations Reveal
A UN draft report compiled by the Panel of Experts on Sudan found that three Boeing 727s linked to U.S. military contractor Steven Shaulis’ business network transported mercenaries, weapons, and drones for the RSF; although Shaulis’ business partner denies any connection to the paramilitary group, a recent Reuters investigations found the aircraft traveled from an airport in Chad to RSF logistics hubs in Libya, Somalia, and Sudan (Reuters).
SAF Retakes Major Highway
The SAF claims to have taken control of a strategic highway between Khartoum and El Obeid after two days of intense clashes with the RSF; the rebel group has controlled the road since April 2023 (Sudan Tribune).
The SAF will use the route to open new supply lines, quickly fortify troops near El Obeid, and hinder the RSF’s siege of the North Kordofan capital (Al Jazeera).
SAF Drone Strike Kills Civilian, Rights Group Finds
A SAF drone strike killed multiple displaced civilians in the Blue Nile region, rights group Emergency Lawyers reported (Sudan Tribune).
ICC Terminates Proceedings Against Former Militia Leader
The International Criminal Court withdrew charges against former Darfur militia leader Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain, who stood accused of war crimes over a 2007 attack on African Union peacekeepers; the judges cited a lack of substantial evidence as justification for their ruling (Reuters).
United States Sanctions Sudan Over Chemical Weapons Use
The United States introduced a new round of sanctions restricting Sudan’s access to U.S. financing and exports and banning Sudanese state-owned airlines from using U.S. airspace after recent State Department investigations determined Khartoum violated the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2024; Khartoum rejects these allegations (RFI).
Democratic Bloc Renews Support for Inclusive Dialogue
Sudan’s Democratic Bloc coalition reaffirmed its commitment to an inclusive dialogue focused on ending the conflict, with leadership pledging to address internal differences through consensus in the future; strong divisions plagued the alliance during a coalition conference in April (Sudan Tribune)
UK Sanctions Networks Fueling Sudan War
The United Kingdom imposed sanctions targeting the illicit gold and financial networks fueling the war in Sudan (Sudan Tribune)
The sanctions program spans eleven institutions and entities, including an RSF financier, RSF-linked procurement operatives, companies based in Hong Kong and the UAE, and three Sudanese state-owned mining enterprises (Reuters)
RSF Leaders Sentenced to Death in Absentia
A court under SAF jurisdiction tried RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, his two brothers, and thirteen other RSF officers and tribal leaders in absentia, sentencing them to death over charges of killing a regional governor as well as war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in West Darfur state (Sudan Tribune)
The court will refer the case to the Supreme Court for review before seeking the arrest and extradition of those convicted through Interpol and international channels; this proceeding represents the first domestic case against RSF leadership since the SAF-RSF conflict escalated in 2023 (Africa News)
EU Parliament Backs RSF Terrorist Designation
The European Parliament approved a resolution calling on the EU to label the RSF as a terrorist organization and expand sanctions against RSF leadership, as well as a UAE-based company that violated the United Nations arms embargo on the western Darfur region; the MEPs also denounced the RSF’s ongoing siege of El Obeid and urged the EU to increase humanitarian aid to Sudan (Sudan Tribune)
RSF Campaign Constitutes Genocide, UN Probe Finds
A UN investigation concluded that the RSF’s systematic campaign of violence against civilians during its siege on el-Fasher—including sexual violence, mass killings, and deliberate starvation—amounted to genocide (Al Jazeera)
Sudanese Army Retakes Kurmuk
The Sudanese army claims to have recaptured the strategic border town of Kurmuk—which joint RSF-SPLM-N forces seized in March—following intense fighting between the two factions that inflicted heavy human and material losses on the RSF (Sudan Tribune)
Additionally, RSF-backed drone strikes on civilian vehicles have killed more than twenty people in recent days in the Khartoum and North Kordofan provinces, according to local NGOs, reflecting the increasing use of drones in the ongoing conflict (AP)
More Than Three Hundred Children Killed in Six Months, UN Finds
UNICEF reported that in the last six months, over three hundred children have been killed or injured in the war in Sudan, mostly from drone strikes, as fighting is increasingly concentrated in the Kordofan, Darfur, and Blue Nile states (AP)
UN Continues to Sound Alarm Over Conditions in El Obeid
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that a human rights catastrophe is unfolding in El Obeid during a UN Human Rights Council debate, noting civilians in the area have been subjected to siege-like conditions for eighteen months, including shortages of clean water and drone strikes (Reuters)
Amnesty Report Documents RSF War Crimes in El Fasher
An Amnesty International report documenting the RSF’s campaign to seize El Fasher accused the paramilitary group of crimes against humanity—particularly targeting children and members of the Zaghawa ethnic group—including ethnic cleansing, torture, and sexual violence, and identifies three senior RSF commanders as responsible for overseeing these crimes (Radio Tamazuj)
SAF Prepares El Obeid for RSF Assault
The SAF has set up at least fourteen checkpoints and a fifty-one-kilometer network of defensive infrastructure around El Obeid in preparation for an RSF siege; RSF forces have almost entirely encircled the city and escalated attacks on critical civilian infrastructure (Sudan Tribune)
Separately, the United Nations lauded Sudan’s decision to extend the opening of the Adre aid corridor on the Chad-Sudan border until September 30 despite persistent fighting in the area, stating the decision will allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid to vulnerable populations (Radio Tamazuj)
SAF Recaptures Territory in Southeast
The SAF announced it seized control of two towns in the Blue Nile region that serve as important regional operational hubs following clashes with joint RSF/SPLM-N forces (Sudan Tribune)
China Forgives Fifty Million in Debt
China forgave roughly fifty million dollars of Sudan’s debt to Beijing in a bilateral agreement. (Sudan Tribune)
Sudan owed over $56 billion in debt to external entities before 2023, after which its economic situation further deteriorated following the outbreak of conflict between the RSF and the SAF; the war has shrunk Khartoum’s economy by roughly 40 percent (Al Jazeera)