An alliance between Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and a faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) says it has captured several areas in Blue Nile state.
Fighting in Blue Nile escalated in February, with RSF forces and fighters loyal to SPLM-N commander Joseph Tuka taking control of Kurmuk and Geissan, near the Ethiopian border, in March and August respectively.
The alliance also said late last month that it had captured army garrisons at Bakori and Surkum.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the SPLM-N faction said its forces had taken full control of military positions and villages in Madal Abiqo, Beli Bong and Kambarda in Kurmuk locality.
It said its fighters had also captured Dokan, Karn Karn and Khor Al-Hassan in the same area earlier this week.
The SPLM-N said its forces were advancing towards Ed Damazin, the capital of Blue Nile state, following heavy fighting that it said had caused significant casualties and material losses among army forces.
The claims could not be independently verified.
Video released by the SPLM-N showed Tuka addressing fighters at the frontline and urging them to continue their advance towards Ed Damazin.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) said Major General Ismail al-Tayeb, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, had visited frontline positions at Balang in the southern sector to assess the troops’ readiness and the security situation.
In a statement, the army said Tayeb reviewed defensive deployments and operational plans and expressed confidence that its forces would repel any advance and protect civilians.
For his part, the army-aligned commissioner of Kurmuk locality said fighting had destroyed healthcare facilities in parts of Kurmuk, Keri and Karang-Karang and damaged water sources.
He accused the RSF and allied forces of human rights violations since Sudan’s war began in April 2023.
“What is happening in Blue Nile is no different from the atrocities and violations committed in Al Jazira, Kordofan and Darfur,” he said.
The commissioner said authorities were coordinating with the Humanitarian Aid Commission to ensure humanitarian assistance reaches people displaced from their villages by the fighting.
Blue Nile is strategically important, bordering Ethiopia and South Sudan and hosting the Roseires Dam, one of Sudan’s key hydroelectric facilities.
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