Story perspectives

Army retakes Export Road after RSF defections

8/26/2026

Summary

Story summary

Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan led SAF forces to retake Bara, Jabra al-Sheikh and Umm Sayala, securing the Exports Road.
On August 20, about 318 RSF members, including four officers, defected to the SAF.
Al-Burhan announced a political track granting temporary immunity and legal guarantees for national-dialogue participants.
UN officials warned the war has killed thousands, displaced millions and caused over 1,100 civilian drone-strike deaths in early 2026.

History

Historical Context

Mass protests in April 2019 forced the removal of President Omar al-Bashir, ending nearly three decades of rule. The ouster sparked a fragile transition that collapsed into renewed fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces, recalling the June 3 Khartoum massacre that killed over 100 people and led the African Union to suspend Sudan’s membership.

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Story summary

Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan led SAF forces to retake Bara, Jabra al-Sheikh and Umm Sayala, securing the Exports Road.
On August 20, about 318 RSF members, including four officers, defected to the SAF.
Al-Burhan announced a political track granting temporary immunity and legal guarantees for national-dialogue participants.
UN officials warned the war has killed thousands, displaced millions and caused over 1,100 civilian drone-strike deaths in early 2026.

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