KHARTOUM, Sudan/ISTANBUL 

The Sudanese army announced Thursday that its forces seized control of Malakan, a key area in Blue Nile state, as part of ongoing operations against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in southeastern Sudan.

Army spokesperson Nabil Abdullah said in a statement that the troops “continued their advance by crushing the RSF militia in Bau city and fully clearing the Malakan area today.”

Sudanese soldiers posted video footage from inside Malakan, showing their presence in the newly secured area.

The RSF did not immediately commented on the army’s statement.

The Sudanese army on Wednesday said it regained control of several areas in Blue Nile after battles with both the RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N), a rebel group active in the region since 2011.

The military maintains control over large parts of Blue Nile, where it has been fighting SPLM-North since 2011. The rebel group demands autonomous governance for both Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.

In a separate statement Wednesday, the army also said it had destroyed a “large force” of RSF fighters in Dilling, the second-largest city in South Kordofan state.

The RSF and the army have been locked in a brutal power struggle since April 2023, resulting in thousands of deaths and pushing Sudan into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.