Sudan’s internal conflict entered a new and consequential phase on Sunday as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary initiated a broad offensive against positions held by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Blue Nile state, a strategically sensitive region bordering Ethiopia and South Sudan. The escalation, reported by Middle East Eye and monitored by independent conflict trackers, underscored the widening geographic scope of a war that has continued since April 2023 and has already displaced millions across northeast Africa.
RSF Blue Nile Offensive Marks Major Escalation in Sudan War Near Ethiopia and South Sudan
The assault in Blue Nile was described by a Sudanese intelligence source aligned with the SAF as exceptionally intense, with the army having anticipated such an attack for several weeks and having deployed reinforcements to the area earlier this month. The RSF offensive has been carried out with the participation of allied fighters from Abdelaziz Adam al-Hilu’s Sudan People’s Liberation Army–North, deepening the complexity of the confrontation. Heavy clashes were reported near Ad-Damazin, the state capital, as RSF units moved in its direction. Sudan War Monitor reported that video footage showed RSF forces advancing north from Ulu in Blue Nile’s Baw district and reaching a remote SAF garrison at al-Silk, approximately 16 kilometers away. While videos circulated on pro-RSF channels appeared to show paramilitary fighters inside military bases, SAF-linked sources maintained that the attack had been repelled and that control of the garrison remained with the army. Claims regarding the origin of the offensive, including assertions by SAF-aligned sources that fighters crossed from South Sudan or Ethiopia, could not be independently verified by Middle East Eye, which noted the regional sensitivity of such allegations.
Blue Nile Fighting Linked to Wider Military Shifts in Kordofan Region
Analysts and sources aligned with the SAF have assessed that the Blue Nile offensive may be connected to broader military dynamics elsewhere in the country, particularly in Kordofan, where intense fighting has unfolded in recent weeks. Sudan War Monitor reported on Monday that, following weeks of attempted advances from North Kordofan, the SAF captured the Habila locality in South Kordofan, an agricultural town west of Dilling that had been affected by an RSF and SPLA-N siege. Control of Habila is viewed by the army as a potential step toward easing pressure on Dilling. The conflict has increasingly involved aerial warfare, with drone strikes by both sides killing and injuring civilians, including women and children, in South Kordofan. The RSF stated on Saturday that it had downed a Turkish-made Bayraktar drone in al-Farshaya. Since the war began in April 2023, at least tens of thousands of people have been killed and more than 14 million have been forced from their homes, according to widely cited humanitarian estimates, reinforcing the scale and urgency of Sudan’s ongoing crisis.