Sudan says RSF attack repelled in Blue Nile state

Sudanese authorities said Sunday that government forces repelled an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) on two areas in southeastern Blue Nile state.

The announcement comes amid escalating fighting in Blue Nile in recent days, with the army reporting successive operations against the RSF and SPLM-N.

Bau Governor Abdul Ghani Daqis Khalifa said in a statement that the army and allied forces confronted attacks by the RSF and SPLM-N on the Maqja and Mada areas.

Government forces forced the attackers to retreat after inflicting losses in personnel and equipment, he said, without providing figures.

Daqis said the security situation across Bau locality is “stable and under control,” adding that daily life is proceeding normally in the town and its administrative units.

On Saturday, the Sudanese army said it carried out an ambush against RSF and SPLM-N forces in the Maqra area of Blue Nile state, inflicting casualties and destroying several military vehicles and pieces of equipment.

A day earlier, the army said it launched a preemptive attack south of the Al-Kayli area in the same state, destroying nine RSF combat vehicles along with their equipment.

Alongside Blue Nile and Darfur, Sudan’s three Kordofan states -- North, West and South Kordofan -- have witnessed fighting between the army and the RSF since Oct. 25.

​​​​​​​Sudan has been engulfed in war between the army and the RSF since April 2023, leaving tens of thousands dead and around 13 million people displaced or forced to flee the country, according to UN and international estimates.