Key facts
- Bara, Sudan, once known for its lemon trees and 100,000 residents, is now devastated by conflict.
- The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured and later lost control of the town to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
- Numerous civilian bodies remain unburied in the streets and homes of Bara, posing a significant health hazard.
- The conflict has displaced the majority of Bara's population.
- The SAF's recapture of Bara has secured a strategic route and eased the siege on el-Obeid.
Bara, a market town in Sudan's North Kordofan region, once celebrated for its lemon trees and a population of around 100,000, now stands devastated by conflict. The town has been subjected to sieges, battles, and massacres, with corpses littering the streets and homes, unburied due to the actions of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries who previously controlled the area.
Sources who visited Bara after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and its allies retook the town in July described a scene of utter destruction. The scent of lemon blossom has been replaced by the stench of rotting flesh, raising fears that decomposing bodies could contaminate the local water supply, which consists of shallow underground wells and boreholes. An engineer working in the town warned of a significant threat to human and livestock lives if the bodies mix with these water sources.
Control of Bara, strategically located on the route linking Khartoum to resource-rich Kordofan, has changed hands multiple times. The RSF captured the city in October 2025, using it as a base for drone attacks on the SAF stronghold of el-Obeid, located 60km away. The RSF, described as a UAE-backed paramilitary force accused of genocide by the United States and rights groups, has been implicated in widespread atrocities across Sudan, including ethnic massacres in Darfur.
Osman Abdulatif, a member of Bara's popular resistance committee, believes the RSF killed hundreds of people in and around Bara, similar to events in other regions. He stated that upon SAF's recapture, everything was destroyed, and the entire population had been displaced. Abdulatif emphasized the urgent need to remove bodies and unexploded ordnance. He noted that only two elderly residents remained in the town, having survived prolonged RSF prevention of food access.
Humanitarian sources and volunteers reported hundreds of bodies needing retrieval in nearby areas like Gabrat al-Shiekh and Um Syala. Local authorities and NGOs are preparing to commence this work, requiring technical and humanitarian support. A volunteer from Um Syala indicated at least 200 bodies were still in the area.
The SAF's recapture of Bara and surrounding areas has secured the vital Export Road, a logistical artery for Kordofan's resources, and re-established a supply line to el-Obeid, which had been under siege. Godat Abdul Hadi, a senior member of the North Kordofan popular resistance, believes this advance has shifted the war's balance in the SAF's favor, making el-Obeid and Omdurman safer. Traders in el-Obeid have noted improved market conditions and supply flow since the siege was lifted.
Military sources confirmed a marked decline in drone attacks on el-Obeid and Omdurman, as these operations were launched from areas now controlled by the SAF. The situation in el-Obeid had appeared dire in June, with fears of it facing a fate similar to el-Fasher, where tens of thousands were killed. International pleas for the RSF to cease attacks on el-Obeid were seen by some as ineffective.
Despite these advances, the RSF has continued counterattacks with drone strikes on various locations. While the SAF asserts that counterattacks around Bara and el-Obeid have been repulsed and forces are moving towards Darfur, sources familiar with the situation caution that recent SAF victories could be reversed if surrounding areas are not secured.