Barah (), also known as Bara, is a town in Bara district in North Kordofan, central Sudan, in northeastern Africa. Barah is located approximately 59 km north-northeast of El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, and it is the state’s second-largest city. The city lies at a strategic road junction connecting Khartoum with El Obeid.
History
Early history
Bara was the deathplace of Darfurian sultan Muhammad Tayrab, soon after he had conquered Kordofan.
Sudanese civil war Since April 2023, Sudan has been in a civil war between the internationally recognized government of Sudan controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the rival Government of Peace and Unity led by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.
On 5 July 2023, RSF forces attacked Barah, with the violence continuing into the early hours of the following day. Armed residents unsuccessfully tried to prevent them from entering the town, where they looted the market, shops, pharmacies and homes, and seized private vehicles.
On 2 January 2024, an RSF unit attacked Barah and seized the police station. The raid followed the killing of three RSF members by local resistance groups the previous week, which had increased tensions in the town and nearby villages.
Since October 2025, Barah had been controlled by the RSF. Barah was strategically important because the RSF had used it as a base for drone attacks on El Obeid. By 31 October 2025, the humanitarian situation in North Kordofan remained alarming, with nearly 36,000 people displaced from Barah in just one week, according to the IOM.
In March 2026, Barah was the scene of fighting between the SAF and the RSF. Supported by airstrikes, the SAF recaptured the town from the RSF on 5 March, killing at least 51 people. The fighting displaced tens of thousands of civilians. On 16 March 2026, the RSF retook Barah in a dawn attack.
On 25 July 2026, Darfur governor Minni Minnawi said that the Sudanese army and allied forces had seized Barah and nearby areas from the RSF. He claimed that the operations had caused heavy RSF personnel and equipment losses, although neither the army nor the RSF had confirmed the reported gains at the time.
References
External links "Barah, Sudan" Falling Rain Genomics, Inc.