BLUE NILE — The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have launched a large-scale military offensive in the Blue Nile region, seizing a strategic rebel stronghold located just one kilometre from the Ethiopian border, according to military officials and local reports.
The operation targeted positions held by an alliance of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N), both of which have been engaged in ongoing clashes with the army in the southeastern border region.
Military sources said government forces carried out coordinated ground operations that led to the capture of the stronghold in the Geissan district, an area considered strategically important due to its proximity to cross-border supply routes and contested territory.
The Sudanese army stated that the offensive is part of wider efforts to secure key areas in Blue Nile state, where fighting has intensified in recent months between government forces and rebel coalitions operating near the Ethiopian and South Sudanese borders.
The RSF and SPLM-N alliance has been accused by the army of attempting to expand control deeper into border districts, while the government has continued counter-operations aimed at regaining lost territory and securing major towns and transport corridors.
The Blue Nile region remains one of the most volatile fronts in Sudan’s ongoing conflict, with repeated battles over strategic towns such as Kurmuk and Geissan, and continued allegations from both sides regarding external support and cross-border movement of fighters.
Humanitarian conditions in the area remain a growing concern as fighting disrupts civilian life and forces displacement in already vulnerable border communities.
The latest advance marks another escalation in the broader Sudanese civil war, which has pitted the national army against the RSF and allied rebel factions since 2023.
