Timeline of the Sudanese civil war (2026)

Last updated

The following is a timeline of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present) in 2026.

Contents

This timeline is a dynamic and fluid list, and as such may never satisfy criteria of completeness. Moreover, some events may only be fully understood and/or discovered in retrospect.

January

1 January

Hamid Ali Abubakar, the commander-in-chief of the RSF-aligned faction of the Sudanese Awakening Revolutionary Council (RAC) and concurrent security adviser to Hemedti, was killed in a drone strike on a meeting of RSF and allied commanders in Damrat al-Firdous, Central Darfur. [1]

3 January

The RSF carried out drone strikes on El-Obeid and White Nile State. [2] An airstrike against a power station in El-Obeid left the city without electricity. [3] [4]

Up to 64 civilians were killed in SAF airstrikes on Hemedti's hometown of Al Zorg that destroyed the town's hospital, and also killed two of Hemedti's relatives and local tribal leader Bashir Barma Baraka Allah. [5]

The RSF and allied groups claimed to have taken El Bardab, north of Kadugli. [6]

4 January

The Sudan Liberation Movement-Abdel Wahid (SLM-AW), a neutral rebel group, ordered the replacement of Sudanese state symbols with its own in the Liberated Areas in Central and North Darfur. [7]

5 January

The SAF claimed to have intercepted a drone attack by the RSF on Merowe. [8]

Thirteen people, including eight children, were killed in an RSF drone strike on a house in El-Obeid, according to the Sudan Doctors' Network. [9]

7 January

One soldier was killed in a suspected RSF drone strike on a Sudan Shield Forces camp in the Butana plains in Gezira State. [10]

9 January

The RSF and its allies, the Sudan Liberation Forces Gathering and the Justice and Equality Movement, attacked positions of the Darfur Joint Protection Force (JDF) at the Chad–Sudan border. [11]

The SAF carried out airstrikes on RSF positions in Darfur and Kordofan. The SAF claimed 240 military vehicles were wrecked and hundreds of RSF members were killed. The SAF also claimed a Turkish Baykar Bayraktar Akıncı drone operated by the RSF was shot down over Nyala Airport. In South Kordofan, the SPLM-N (al-Hilu) said 13 civilians, including children, were killed in an airstrike on Um Jamina in Al-Sunut County. [12]

10 January

The JDF accused the RSF of killing and kidnapping 19 people in Jirjira, North Darfur. [13]

11 January

The SAF conducted strikes against a supply convoy in Yabus, Blue Nile State, near the Ethiopia–Sudan border. [14]

The SAF-aligned government announced its complete return to Khartoum, having operated in Port Sudan as the temporary capital since 2022. [15]

Five people were killed and 20 injured in an RSF drone strike on a market in Kartala, South Kordofan. [16]

12 January

At least 27 people were killed and 73 others were wounded by an RSF drone strike on an army base in Singa. The attack reportedly targeted a meeting between government and SAF officials at the base. The governors of White Nile, Sennar, and Blue Nile States were confirmed to have been in attendance, but survived the attack. [17] [18]

13 January

The SAF and allied groups claimed to have retaken Jirjira from the RSF. [19]

14 January

The SAF repelled an attack by the RSF and SPLM-N (al-Hilu) near Al-Kuwaik, close to Kadugli. [20]

The RSF was accused of abducting 97 young men from a gold mine in Eyal Bakhit, West Kordofan. [21]

15 January

The RSF carried out a cross-border attack into Chad while pursuing a JDF unit that fled into the country, killing seven Chadian soldiers at the Birak garrison near Tiné Djagaraba. [22] [23]

Twelve people were killed in an RSF drone strike on a market in Dalang, South Kordofan. [24]

The SPLM-N (al-Hilu) and the RSF claimed to have repelled an SAF attack on Habila, 30 km (19 mi) from Dalang. [25]

18 January

The SAF repelled a large scale RSF attack on Wadi al-Hout in North Kordofan. [26]

20 January

The Central Bank of Sudan announced the resumption of its operations in Khartoum for the first time since the civil war began. [27]

21 January

The RSF detained 17 Zaghawas from Mahajeriya in East Darfur, including the head of the rural court. [28]

23 January

Five people were killed in an SAF drone strike on a market in Abu Zaima, North Kordofan. [29]

24 January

Two people were killed in an RSF drone strike on Dalang. [30] The RSF claimed to have shot down an SAF Bayraktar drone over the city. [29]

25 January

The SAF repelled a large-scale attack by the RSF and SPLM-N (al-Hilu) from South Sudan on Milkan and Al-Silak in Blue Nile State. [31]

26 January

The SAF retook Habila and broke the siege of Dalang. [32]

27 January

Five people were killed in a drone strike on Dalang. [33]

28 January

Dozens of people were killed in an RSF drone strike on Dalang. [34]

30 January

The European Union imposed sanctions on seven individuals for their role in escalating the conflict in Sudan, including Hemedti's brother Major Algoney Hamdan Dagalo Musa, and Al-Misbah Abu Zaid Talha, commander of the SAF-allied Al-Bara' ibn Malik Battalion. [35]

The RSF carried out a drone attack on El-Obeid. [36]

February

1 February

A joint SAF-JDF force retook Al-Dashol, on the highway between Dalang and Kadugli. [37]

At least five people, including a senior RSF commander and a tribal leader, were killed in clashes with rival RSF factions in Khazan Jadid, East Darfur. [38]

3 February

The SAF said it had broken the RSF siege of Kadugli. [39] Later that day, RSF drone strikes on the city killed 15 people. [40]

The RSF and SPLM-N (al-Hilu) seized the towns of Deim Mansour, Bashir Nuqu and Khor al-Budi near Kurmuk in Blue Nile state. [41]

4 February

One person was killed in an RSF drone strike on a military hospital in Kadugli. [42]

5 February

The United Kingdom imposed sanctions on six individuals over their role in sustaining the conflict, including three Colombians accused of recruiting mercenaries for the RSF, RSF field commander Hussein Barsham, and Sudan Shield Forces commander Abu Aqla Kikal. [43]

Twenty-two people were killed in an RSF drone strike on a military hospital in Kouik, South Kordofan. [44] An SAF drone strike on a market in West Kordofan injured 11 people. [45]

6 February

At least one person was killed in a series of RSF drone strikes on truck convoys in North Kordofan. [46]

7 February

A RSF drone attack on a vehicle carrying displaced families near Er Rahad killed at least 24 people including eight children. [47]

The SAF repelled an RSF attack on Al-Silak. [48]

8 February

Three people were killed in an RSF drone strike on a vehicle carrying food supplies near Umm Ruwaba in North Kordofan. [49]

10 February

The SAF said it destroyed a FK-2000 air defense system and drones used by the RSF in Ed Dubeibat. [50]

11 February

Two people were killed in an RSF drone strike on a mosque in Er Rahad. [51]

13 February

Two people were killed in RSF drone strikes on al-Kurgal, South Kordofan. [52]

The SAF shelled the RSF and SPLM-N (Toka)-held towns of Malkon and Yabus, near the Ethiopian border in Blue Nile state. [53]

14 February

An unspecified number of civilian casualties occurred following drone strikes by the RSF and SPLM-N (Toka) in Qaysan, Blue Nile state. [54]

15 February

Three people were killed in an RSF drone strike on Al-Mazmoum Hospital in Sennar State. [55]

At least 28 people were killed in a drone strike on a market outside Sodari in North Kordofan. [56]

The SAF claimed to have destroyed an RSF air defence system in Abu Zabad, West Kordofan. [57]

16 February

At least 26 people were killed in a suspected SAF drone strike on a displacement shelter in El Sunut, West Kordofan. [58]

18 February

The World Food Programme delivered humanitarian aid to Dalang and Kadugli for the first time since 2024. [59]

One person was killed in an RSF drone strike on Kurmuk. [60]

19 February

The United States imposed sanctions on RSF commanders Elfateh Abdullah Idris Adam, Gedo Hamdan Ahmed and Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed for their actions at El Fasher. The three were added to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. [61]

Three aid workers were killed in an RSF drone attack on a humanitarian aid convoy in Katala as it was travelling to Dalang and Kadugli. [62]

21 February

The RSF claimed to have taken El Tina, along the border with Chad and North Darfur. The JDF denied the claim. [63]

22 February

RAC leader Musa Hilal, who was in conflict with the RSF, survived an RSF drone attack on his guest house in Mustariha, North Darfur. A separate attack on the town killed several RAC leaders and injured Hilal's son. [64]

23 February

The RSF attacked Mustariha, leaving 28 civilians dead. [65]

Chad imposed an indefinite closure of its border with Sudan after RSF fighters entered the country while fleeing from SAF forces in El Tina. [66]

24 February

The United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions on four RSF commanders, including Hemedti's brother Abdul Rahim Dagalo, Gedo Hamdan Ahmed, Elfateh Abdullah Idris Adam and Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed, for atrocities committed in El Fasher. [67]

25 February

The RAC announced Musa Hilal's arrival in SAF-controlled territory outside Darfur following the RSF attack on Mustariha. [68]

26 February

The RSF and SPLM-N carried out drone strikes on Geissan in Blue Nile state. [69]

28 February

Nine people were killed in RSF drone strikes on El-Obeid. [70]

March

1 March

The RSF and SPLM-N claimed to have taken the SAF garrison at al-Taqma, 7 km (4.3 mi) east of Dalang, and cut the road linking Dalang and Habila. [71]

2 March

Twelve people were injured in an RSF drone strike on the British Hospital in El-Obeid. [72]

References

  1. ↑ "RSF Darfur security advisor killed in drone strike near Zalingei". Sudan Tribune. 1 January 2026. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  2. ↑ "RSF drones attack vital sites in North Kordofan and White Nile states". Sudan Tribune. 4 January 2026. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Drone strikes plunge Sudanese city into darkness amid fierce fighting". The Sun Malaysia. 4 January 2026. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  4. ↑ "War in Sudan: drone strikes cut power supply in oil-rich south". South China Morning Post. 4 January 2026. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  5. ↑ "RSF Accuses Army of Killing Over 64 Civilians in North Darfur". Darfur24. 3 January 2026. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  6. ↑ "South Kordofan: RSF claim control of El Bardab area north of Kadugli". Radio Dabanga. 4 January 2026. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  7. ↑ "SLM-AW adopts own flag and anthem in controlled areas". Sudan Tribune. 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  8. ↑ "Sudanese army says it intercepted drone attack on key dam". Sudan Tribune. 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  9. ↑ "Children killed after drone hits home in Sudan, medics say". BBC. 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  10. ↑ "Drone strike kills one at Sudan Shield camp in Al-Jazirah". Sudan Tribune. 7 January 2026. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  11. ↑ "Sudanese army allies and RSF clash near Chadian border". Sudan Tribune. 9 January 2026. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
  12. ↑ "Sudanese army launches intensive strikes on RSF positions in Darfur and Kordofan". Sudan Tribune. 9 January 2026. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
  13. ↑ "Joint Forces accuse RSF of killing 19 civilians in North Darfur". Sudan Tribune. 11 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  14. ↑ "الطيران الحربي يقصف معقل رئيسي لـ«الشعبية» في النيل الأزرق للمرة الأولى" [Warplanes bombed a major stronghold of the "Popular Front" in Blue Nile state for the first time]. Sudan Tribune (in Arabic). 11 January 2026. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  15. ↑ "Sudan announces government's return to Khartoum from wartime capital". Al Jazeera. 11 January 2026. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  16. ↑ "RSF drone strike kills five in South Kordofan market". Sudan Tribune . 12 January 2026. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  17. ↑ "Sudan paramilitary strike on southeastern city kills 27". Arab News . Agence France-Presse. 12 January 2026. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  18. ↑ "RSF drone strikes kill dozens in Sinjah government and military sites". Sudan Tribune . 12 January 2026. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  19. ↑ "Sudan Joint Force claims recapture of Jargeira in North Darfur from RSF". Radio Dabanga . 14 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  20. ↑ "Sudan army says repels RSF attack in South Kordofan". Sudan Tribune . 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  21. ↑ "RSF accused of kidnapping 97 people from West Kordofan gold mine". Sudan Tribune . 16 January 2026. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  22. ↑ "RSF attacks Chadian army camp near Sudan border". Sudan Tribune . 16 January 2026. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  23. ↑ "Chad: 7 soldiers killed in reported clash at Sudanese border with RSF". Africanews . 16 January 2026. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  24. ↑ "12 killed in RSF drone strike on South Kordofan market". Sudan Tribune . 16 January 2026. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  25. ↑ "SPLM-N and RSF repel Sudanese army attack in Habila". Sudan Tribune . 16 January 2026. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  26. ↑ "Sudanese army, RSF clash on North Kordofan-Khartoum border". Sudan Tribune. 18 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  27. ↑ "Sudan central bank resumes Khartoum operations after war halt". Sudan Tribune. 20 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  28. ↑ "RSF detains tribal leader, 16 others in Sudan's East Darfur". Sudan Tribune. 22 January 2026. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  29. 1 2 "Drone attacks wreak death, injury among South Kordofan civilians". Radio Dabanga. 25 January 2026. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  30. ↑ "Drone strike kills two in Sudan's Dilling, medical group says". Sudan Tribune. 25 January 2026. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  31. ↑ "Sudan says RSF, SPLM-N attack Blue Nile region from South Sudan". Sudan Tribune. 25 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  32. ↑ "Sudanese Army Announces Lifting of Dilling Siege After Fierce Battles". Darfur24. 26 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  33. ↑ "Dilling, South Kordofan: Calls for air bridge on second day of deadly drone strikes". Radio Dabanga. 28 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  34. ↑ "Dozens killed in RSF drone strike in Sudan's South Kordofan". Sudan Tribune. 28 January 2026. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  35. ↑ "EU blacklists seven in Sudan, including RSF leader's brother". Sudan Tribune. 30 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  36. ↑ "RSF drones attack Sudan's El Obeid, target government buildings". Sudan Tribune. 30 January 2026. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  37. ↑ "Sudanese army nears end of Kadugli siege in South Kordofan". Sudan Tribune. 1 February 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  38. ↑ "Senior RSF officer and tribal leader killed in East Darfur internal clashes". Sudan Tribune. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  39. ↑ "Sudanese military claims to have broken RSF siege of Kordofan's regional capital". AP News. 3 February 2026. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  40. ↑ "Sudan Doctors Network: '15 dead as drones strafe South Kordofan capital Kadugli'". Radio Dabanga. 4 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  41. ↑ "RSF and SPLM-N attack arm's positions in Blue Nile, capture strategic area". Sudan Tribune. 3 February 2026. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  42. ↑ "One killed in drone attack on Kadugli hospital". Sudan Tribune. 4 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  43. ↑ "UK hits 'Sudan's war machine' with new sanctions". Radio Dabanga. 5 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  44. ↑ "Famine is threatening more of war-torn Sudan's Darfur region as an attack in the south kills 22". AP News. 5 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  45. ↑ "Deadly attacks hit Kordofan as scrutiny grows over drone warfare in Sudan". Radio Dabanga. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  46. ↑ "RSF drones attack aid convoys in North Kordofan". Sudan Tribune. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  47. ↑ "Drone attack by paramilitary group in Sudan kills 24, including 8 children, doctors' group says". Associated Press. 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  48. ↑ "Sudanese army repels attack near South Sudan border". Sudan Tribune. 7 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  49. ↑ "RSF drones target convoys in Sudan's Kordofan region". Sudan Tribune. 8 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  50. ↑ "Sudanese army says destroyed RSF drones and air defence systems". Sudan Tribune. 10 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  51. ↑ "Drone strike on a mosque kills 2 children in Sudan's Kordofan region". Associated Press. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  52. ↑ "RSF drone strikes kill two in South Kordofan". Sudan Tribune. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  53. ↑ "Drone strikes and shelling intensify in Sudan's South Kordofan, Blue Nile". Sudan Tribune. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  54. ↑ "Civilian deaths reported in RSF drone strike on Blue Nile's locality". Sudan Tribune. 14 February 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  55. ↑ "Sudanse medical group says RSF drone strike kills three at Sennar hospital". Sudan Tribune. 15 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  56. ↑ "Drone attack on Sudan market kills 28: rights group". africanews. 16 February 2026.
  57. ↑ "Sudan army says destroys second RSF air defence system in Kordofan". Sudan Tribune. 15 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  58. ↑ "Two days of drone strikes leave 60+ dead across Sudan's Darfur and Kordofan regions". Radio Dabanga. 16 February 2026.
  59. ↑ "Aid reaches Sudan's Kordofan as over 30 countries alarmed by drone attacks". Al Jazeera. 19 February 2026.
  60. ↑ "Drone strike hits Sudan's Al-Kurmuk near Ethiopian border, official says". Sudan Tribune. 19 February 2026.
  61. ↑ "Treasury Sanctions Sudanese Paramilitary Commanders for Atrocities in El-Fasher". U.S. Department of the Treasury. 19 February 2026. Archived from the original on 20 February 2026.
  62. ↑ "Three aid workers killed, 4 wounded in RSF drone attack in Sudan's Kordofan". Al Jazeera. 20 February 2026.
  63. ↑ "'Joint Force repels RSF attack on Sudan-Chad border', as rival claims spark border tensions". Radio Dabanga. 22 February 2026.
  64. ↑ "Musa Hilal survives drone assassination attempt in North Darfur stronghold". Sudan Tribune. 22 February 2026.
  65. ↑ "RSF attack on Musa Hilal's Darfur stronghold kills 28, doctors say". Sudan Tribune. 24 February 2026.
  66. ↑ "Chad closes its border with Sudan after fighters spilled into its territory". AP News. 22 February 2026.
  67. ↑ "UN sanctions 4 commanders in Sudan's paramilitary force accused of atrocities in Darfur". AP News. 26 February 2026.
  68. ↑ "Tribal leader Musa Hilal reaches army-held areas after RSF attack". Sudan Tribune. 26 February 2026.
  69. ↑ "RSF, SPLM-N escalate drone attacks on Blue Nile border towns". Sudan Tribune. 27 February 2026.
  70. ↑ "Nine killed in Sudan's El Obeid as RSF drone strikes intensify". Sudan Tribune. 28 February 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  71. ↑ "Sudanese army repels joint RSF-rebel attack on South Kordofan's Dilling". Sudan Tribune. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  72. ↑ "RSF strike on El Obeid hospital injures 12, including medical staff". Sudan Tribune. 2 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
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