Forces aligned with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have pushed toward positions held by General Abdel Fattah al Burhan’s army in Sudan’s southeastern Blue Nile State, near the Ethiopian border, according to statements from the groups.
Clashes are centred on Deim Mansour, a town between the SPLM-N stronghold of Yabus and Burhan’s army-held town of Kurmuk.
The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu and allied with the RSF, said on Tuesday it had taken control of Deim Mansour and surrounding areas.
Blue Nile State, which borders Ethiopia and South Sudan, is split between Burhan’s army and SPLM-N control and is seen as strategically important due to its position along key border routes.
Sudan has been at war since April 2023, when fighting erupted between Burhan’s army and the RSF.
The RSF announced an alliance with the SPLM-N in February last year, deepening cooperation in parts of Blue Nile and South Kordofan.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced about 11 million, according to international estimates, creating one of the world’s largest displacement crises.
Control remains divided, with the army holding much of the north, east and centre, while RSF-aligned forces dominate large areas of the west and parts of the south.
