The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) said they have captured a key rebel stronghold near the Ethiopian border after launching a large-scale military offensive in Sudan’s Blue Nile region, as fighting intensifies across several fronts in the country’s civil war.
According to Sudan Tribune and Chinese state news agency Xinhua, the operation was carried out on Tuesday by the SAF’s 13th Infantry Brigade under the Fourth Infantry Division in Geissan district, targeting areas beyond Abu Dugla and Ashambo, about one kilometre from the Ethiopia-Sudan border.
The military said its forces seized control of the Al-Bar area, describing it as a major stronghold of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) faction led by Joseph Touka. It said several fighters were captured and weapons and military equipment were seized during the operation.
The offensive comes amid renewed fighting in the strategic border districts of Geissan and Kurmuk, where the SAF is battling a coalition of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the SPLM-N. Sudanese authorities have previously accused Ethiopia of providing logistical support to the alliance operating in the Blue Nile region, an allegation Addis Ababa has denied.
Military sources quoted by Sudan Tribune said government forces and allied units would continue operations to clear areas up to the international border with Ethiopia. The army said the offensive aims to block rebel advances toward Geissan and recapture the strategic border town of Kurmuk, which has remained under the control of the RSF-SPLM-N alliance since March.
The developments come as Sudan’s conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between the SAF and the RSF, has entered its fourth year, with fighting expanding across multiple regions.
Separately, the SAF said it had shot down what it described as a “hostile” drone north of Al-Tuwaysha in North Darfur State, underscoring the increasing use of drones by both sides in the conflict.
Meanwhile, humanitarian concerns continue to mount, particularly in North Darfur, as renewed fighting in the Blue Nile, Darfur, and Kordofan regions raises fears of further civilian displacement and worsening humanitarian conditions.
In recent months, fighting has intensified in Sudan’s Blue Nile State, which has emerged as a key front in the country’s civil war due to its strategic location along the borders with Ethiopia and South Sudan.
Sudanese military forces have reportedly reinforced troop deployments along the Ethiopian border, including areas adjacent to Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State.
Earlier this month, the SAF said its troops were advancing toward the border town of Kurmuk after destroying what it described as the “last rebel strongholds” surrounding the area, according to Sudan Tribune.
The military has also announced that it had regained control of two areas in southeastern Blue Nile following intensified clashes with allied forces of the paramilitary RSF and the SPLM-N, led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu.
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