Sudan army says RSF advance on key town bordering Ethiopia

On Thursday, Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) declared the capture of Al Kurmuk, a strategically significant southern town situated near the borders of Ethiopia and South Sudan. This marks the second town in Blue Nile State that the RSF has taken possession of this week, indicating a concerted effort to push the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), their adversary since 2023, out of the region.

The RSF provided no casualty figures in its announcement but claimed that its fighters had driven SAF combatants from the town and seized "large amounts" of military equipment and ammunition. Videos circulating online depicted RSF fighters celebrating the capture of Al Kurmuk. On Tuesday, the RSF announced the seizure of Qayssan, another town in Blue Nile State, which it is aligned with a powerful rebel group.

As of now, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has not responded publicly to the loss of these two towns. The strategic importance of Al Kurmuk lies in its proximity to Ethiopia and South Sudan, with the town being less than 140km from Damazin, the capital of Blue Nile state, and approximately 160km from the Roseires Dam, a crucial power source for the country.

The RSF's capture of Al Kurmuk and Qayssan follows recent battlefield gains by the SAF in Kordofan, a central region where intense fighting has been ongoing since the army relinquished its final stronghold in Darfur late last year. The civil war in Sudan erupted in April 2023 following a breakdown in relations between army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo, which escalated into open hostilities.

Over four years, the conflict has resulted in an estimated death toll of tens of thousands, with about 14 million people displaced. The United Nations describes the conflict as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 20 million people suffering from hunger. Al Shafie Ahmed contributed to this report from Kampala, Uganda.