Sudan’s army repels RSF attack in Blue Nile state

KHARTOUM, Sudan / ISTANBUL

The Sudanese army repelled an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N), in Blue Nile state in southeastern Sudan on Sunday, military sources said.

Troops of the army’s 4th Infantry Division, backed by allied forces, confronted an early-morning assault by the RSF and SPLM-N on the areas of al-Silk and Malakan, the sources told Anadolu.

The Sudanese forces managed to repel the attack and destroyed several military vehicles belonging to the attacking forces, the sources added.

Army personnel circulated videos on social media showing destroyed and seized RSF vehicles following the clashes.

Neither the Sudanese military nor the RSF commented on the report.

The developments came days after the Sudanese army carried out airstrikes on RSF and SPLM-N positions in the towns of Yabus and Balila in Blue Nile state on Thursday.

The army controls large parts of Blue Nile, while the SPLM-N has fought the central government since 2011, seeking autonomy in the regions of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Alongside Darfur, Sudan’s three Kordofan states have witnessed intense fighting in recent weeks between the army and the RSF, triggering the displacement of tens of thousands of civilians.

Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states in the western Darfur region, except for parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. The army holds most areas of the remaining 13 states across the south, north, east and center of the country, including the capital, Khartoum.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has killed thousands of people and displaced millions.