Sudanese army says it repelled RSF attack in Blue Nile state

Sudanese authorities said Friday that the army repelled an attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) on the Al-Baraka area in Blue Nile state.

Authorities in Al-Kurmuk town said in a statement that the Sudanese army and allied forces “repelled an attack launched by the RSF militia and SPLM-N forces on the Al-Baraka area in Al-Kurmuk locality” on Friday morning.

“Army forces inflicted heavy losses on the attackers in lives and equipment,” it said, adding that the army destroyed several combat vehicles and forced the remaining fighters to flee toward the Ethiopian border.

There was no immediate comment from the RSF on the statement.

The developments came two days after Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visited Damazin, the capital of Blue Nile state, where he inspected the army’s 4th Infantry Division and reviewed its combat readiness.

On Tuesday, the first batch of joint forces from armed movements allied with the army arrived in Blue Nile, which has seen escalating battles with the RSF and allied SPLM-N forces.

On Aug. 29, the Sudanese army announced the deployment of the elite brigade affiliated with the General Intelligence Service to the operations front in the Bakkori axis in Blue Nile state.

The RSF said on Aug. 28 that it had taken control of the Bakkori and Sarkam military bases southeast of Damazin.

A day earlier, the army said it had shot down a hostile strategic drone in Blue Nile after it crossed the border from Ethiopia, the third such drone the army said it had downed in a week.

Alongside Blue Nile and Darfur, the three Kordofan states, North, West and South, have witnessed clashes between the army and the RSF since Oct. 25.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a war between the army and the RSF that has killed tens of thousands and displaced around 13 million people, according to UN and international estimates.