North Bahri: Steady activity in markets and neighbourhoods
KHARTOUM- North Bahri has enjoyed a notable degree of calm, with returning residents filling homes and no major security breaches reported compared with other parts of the capital.
During a recent tour, Atar correspondent observed brisk, growing foot traffic in North Bahri’s neighbourhoods and markets, and a surge in buses serving routes from Al-Jilli to Kaddaro, the Halfaya Bridge and the Central Bahr station. Fares range from 1,500 to 2,000 SDG (less than one UDS), and the number of operational fuel stations has noticeably increased.
Markets in Saqai, Jilli and Kaddaro have rebounded, with food and commodity prices relatively stable. Shops, including grocery stores, butcheries, bakeries, pharmacies, and flour agents like Sayga, Rotana and Wheata, remain open throughout the day.
A mill engineer at Siqa told Atar that production is rising, especially shipments bound for other states along Challenge Road. Heavy truck traffic thunders along Al-Tahadi Highway.
“Trucks from Port Sudan pass through River Nile and Khartoum States, then on to White Nile and Kordofan via Jebel Aulia, or to Al-Jazirah, Sennar and Blue Nile via East Nile,” truck driver Mohammed al Douma told Atar. They carry foodstuffs, construction materials and agricultural inputs.
In healthcare, several clinics in Kaddaro, Daroshab and Halfaya, and the Haj Al Safi Hospital, have resumed operations after being shuttered for over two years, leading to a marked drop in disease rates, residents say.
“Malaria, dengue and cholera cases have declined,” said Abdou Saleh of Halfaya, crediting intensified vector control campaigns for easing suffering.
The main water station in Bahri has returned to service, supplying large swathes of the city after a prolonged outage. However, the northern Bahri Tamanayat station went offline a week ago due to critically low Nile levels, the water authority reported, noting plans to deploy a dredging rig to clear the feeder canal.
Khartoum State authorities, backed by local volunteers, have also repaired water stations, overhauled transformers and deployed solar power in some areas. Bahri teams are clearing drains and debris ahead of the rains, especially along Halfaya’s main artery (Al-Ma’una Street) to the Zarqa complex, a zone that saw heavy fighting.
Atar correspondents noted brick, concrete and sand trucks returning to Al-Rahmaniya neighborhood in northern Halfaya.
About five private schools, including Zayed Al Khair, Fatima Al Zahra, Ahmed Al Zubair and Awn Al Sharif Qasim, are once again in session in Halfaya.
Rental activity is picking up too.
“Shop rents along the main street have soared,” real estate agent Al Noor Mahmoud told Atar. “Today’s rent can reach three million SDG, compared with under one million just months ago.”
Dongola: Night armed attack shakes residents
NORTHERN STATE- A nighttime armed attack in Old Dongola has rattled local security perceptions and raised fresh concerns over the safety of a region lying just outside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)-held Triangle for more than two months.
In the pre-dawn hours of Monday, July 14, assailants struck the police station in Al-Ghaddar village on Dongola’s outskirts, killing Officer Mohamed Othman Imbash and wounding several colleagues. The injured are now in critical condition at Al Wifaq Qatari Hospital in Tenqasi.
Field sources report that attackers emerged from an unmarked “saloon” vehicle wielding AK-47 rifles, unleashing a sudden, heavy barrage that immobilised the station, disabling the official police vehicle. They then moved on to the local Agricultural Bank branch, firing indiscriminately around its perimeter. A lone guard and the on-duty officer managed to flee seconds before the gunmen vanished without a trace.
Old Dongola sits about 126 km from Dongola city, the Northern State capital, and is renowned for its Nile-side archaeological sites. The brazen assault reignited warnings of sleeper cells and RSF operatives reportedly active in the area, possibly aided by colluding insiders, residents tell Atar.
“This escalation is a wake-up call,” said citizen Ahmed Dimbawi. “It demands that state authorities reassess security across Northern State and bolster protection for key institutions.”
The Popular Resistance Movement condemned the attack as “treacherous,” lamenting its toll on community morale and the looming threat to once-stable neighbourhoods. State security officials have yet to comment publicly, but in parallel the Sudanese Armed Forces and allied units declared their readiness to “repel” RSF forces within the Triangle.
Committee spokesman Mohammed Ali al Kudabi said Governor Abdel Rahman Abdel Hamid convened an emergency council to review regional conditions and order full defensive mobilisation along the state border.
The Northern State government denounced the strike as a “blatant assault on law enforcement institutions” and a destabilising blow to public safety. It added that a planned raid on the bank’s vaults, mere hours before the attack, was foiled by its robust security systems, denying the intruders their intended haul.
Um Samima: A village on the frontline
NORTH KORDOFAN- When the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced on July 13 that they had seized Um Samima, many assumed it referred to the village northeast of Bara, only to discover it was actually a locality roughly 40 kilometres west of Al-Obeid.
This western Um Samima, scene of fierce fighting between SAF-aligned militias and RSF units, sits at the heart of North Kordofan’s pasture and cropland belt. Locals raise sheep, cattle and camels and cultivate fava beans, sesame and sorghum, according to resident Al-Hadi Brima.
“Um Samima has been widely mentioned in recent days,” Brima told Atar. “It’s a large settlement, almost a town, with a long history and strategic importance on the Al Obeid–Al- Fashir highway.”
Located on the national road 40 kilometres west of Al-Obeid, it represented the state’s westernmost military stronghold, bordering RSF-held West Kordofan, save for Division 22 at Abnusa.
“Several thousand residents, a mix of herders and farmers, had poised to begin their planting season when the RSF’s sudden assault forced them to flee towards Al-Obeid, now overflowing with displaced families,” Brima said.
“In the wake of the battle, widespread looting broke out: RSF fighters ransacked homes, stole farm produce, stripped shops and commandeered vehicles,” he added.
As in other conflict zones across Kordofan, survivors have become displaced dependents on charity kitchens in Al-Obeid.
Resident Haroun Adam called the attack “a catastrophe.”
“We were on the verge of planting when the bloody raid shattered our plans, destroyed our property, torched our crops, stole our livestock and left us homeless,” he told Atar.
“Several villagers were killed and dozens wounded. The area remains contested with no clear victor, making an accurate fatality count impossible,” Haroun said.
He added that a second wave of RSF looting was driven off by allied militias supporting the SAF, and since that counterattack, no permanent military posts have been established in Um Samima.
Um Higelija: Armed looting disrupts farming and trade
NORTH KORDOFAN- Two hours were enough to shatter the night for residents of villages north of Al-Obeid, after Rapid Support Forces (RSF) mounted an attack on June 30. The assault targeted Um Higelija Awlad Wanees, about 50 kilometres north of Al-Obeid and 45 km from Bara, in Shikan locality.
Renowned as the primary supplier of foodstuffs to surrounding villages, its strategic location at the agricultural heart of western North Kordofan underpins its local market.
Ahmed Mahmoud told Atar that, aside from this raid, carried out by three RSF-driven 4×4s, neighbouring Bara’s villages also suffered incursions. Alleging weapons seizures, the attackers first struck Mabruka village, looting two residents before converging on Um Higelija’s market.
There they detained two more men, forced them to hand over their AK-47s, and imposed a 10 million SDG “fine.”
After intervention by the village elder’s son, Sadiq Younis, the ransom dropped to 4 million SDG if the rifles were surrendered, or “other measures” would follow. Villagers scraped together 3.5 million SDG, handed it over and watched the RSF vehicles depart.
The elder’s son had stipulated that only carried weapons be collected; homes or camel-mounted arms would be untouched, since rifles serve to protect crops, livestock and honour. At 1.5 million SDG apiece, these guns are prized.
While Sadiq negotiated, other RSF fighters roamed the market, ransacking phones, cash and personal goods, yet curiously ignoring shop inventories or harassing merchants.
A witness from nearby Rabwa recounted that coalition forces ambushed the three vehicles after they left Um Higelija: one rig was burned with its occupants and equipment inside, while the other two were captured and their crews killed.
Elsewhere, farmer Ali Fadl said the growing season promised well, but insecurity and a dire economy deterred ploughing.
“We are exhausted and need relief to get through planting. Farmers here are in desperate straits.”
Fuel prices have surged: a jerrycan of kerosene now costs between 120,000 and 150,000 SDG. Drafting five acres runs 60,000 SDG, plus costs for seedbed preparation and other farm work.
Trader Muzamil noted that commodity prices vary by origin. Goods once arrived via Um Kridim from Ad-Dabba towards western Sudan, but highway banditry and RSF checkpoints make that route untenable. Now they source supplies from Al-Obeid, despite the constant threat of looting. He himself lost a merchandise-laden pickup to RSF raiders.
| # | Item | Price (SDG) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sugar (50kg sack) | 150,000 |
| 2 | Flour (25kg sack) | 50,000 |
| 3 | Coffee (packaged, per pound) | 8,000 |
| 4 | Coffee (traditional, per pound) | 7,600 |
| 5 | Onions (from Al-Obeid, sack) | 100,000 |
| 6 | Lentils (Tat brand, sack) | 75,000 |
| 7 | White rice (25kg) | 70,000 |
| 8 | Yellow rice (20kg) | 60,000 |
| 9 | Oil (36lb can, hand-pressed) | 105,000 |
| 10 | Oil (36lb can, from Al Obeid) | 140,000 |
| 11 | Corn (Vitrita, sack) | 140,000 |
| 12 | Millet (sack) | 160,000 |
Essential Goods Prices in Um Higelija
Tawila faces alarming cholera outbreak
NORTH DARFUR- Eyewitnesses in the Tawila area report that the region’s displacement camps are experiencing a widespread cholera outbreak among those who fled recent clashes in Al-Fashir, overwhelming local civilian authorities.
Doctors Without Borders said in a Thursday statement it has established a 100-bed cholera treatment centre at Tawila Hospital, treating approximately 350 patients since mid-June, including 150 in a single day.
Overcrowding prompted the NGO to open eight rapid response treatment units at registration sites, and it has launched urgent water and sanitation interventions.
A child welfare officer told Atar that on Thursday alone, around 500 suspected cases appeared across various camps. He noted that Tawila town itself has recorded no cases, and blamed the epidemic on extreme overcrowding in camps and inadequate services.
Tawila’s civil authority, aligned with the SLM–Nur faction of the Sudan Liberation Army, reported a massive influx of displaced people from Al-Fashir and the Zamzam, Abushuk and Al-Salam camps, doubling the town’s population without sufficient shelter or sanitation.
Initial suspected cases elsewhere in Sudan gave way to a rapid local spread: Tawila has confirmed 300 infections in the past two weeks. The administration appealed urgently to all humanitarian organisations to step up efforts to contain the disease, especially given the area’s high population density and ongoing arrivals from multiple conflict zones.
Located about 65 kilometres west of Al-Fashir, Tawila is a haven for those fleeing RSF abuses in the western Al-Fashir countryside. Known as “liberated lands,” it falls under SLM–Nur control, not under government or RSF authority, and lies closest to the region’s active combat zones.
