The army-aligned governor of Sudan’s Blue Nile region arrived in Wad Madani just hours after a drone strike hit his residence in Damazin and forces belonging to the Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS) reported fresh territorial gains near the regional capital.
Ahmed al-Omda Badi was received by Gezira Governor al-Tahir Ibrahim al-Khair at the southern entrance to Wad Madani, according to local Sudanese media.
His arrival came shortly after drones struck his residence in Damazin and amid an intensifying offensive by TASIS forces in surrounding areas.
It was not immediately clear whether Badi’s trip to Wad Madani had been previously scheduled or was directly linked to the deteriorating security situation in Blue Nile.
Army-aligned authorities earlier blamed the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for the drone attack, saying explosive-laden aircraft targeted Badi’s residence and other locations in Damazin.
Badi said army air defences had confronted the drones and vowed that the attack would not weaken his support for the Sudanese military and allied forces.
Images released following the strike showed sections of walls damaged, rubble scattered across a courtyard and apparent fire damage to another structure.
There were no independently confirmed reports of casualties.
The RSF and the wider TASIS alliance have not publicly claimed responsibility for the drone strike, and the attribution could not be independently verified.
The attack coincided with significant battlefield developments around Damazin.
The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), which fights alongside the RSF within the TASIS military alliance, said its forces had seized several positions in the Al-Kadalou area of Roseires locality following heavy fighting with the Sudanese army.
The movement said TASIS forces captured military vehicles and took army personnel prisoner during the clashes.
A TASIS field commander subsequently said Damazin and Roseires were among the alliance’s next military objectives.
Al-Kadalou lies roughly 60 kilometres from Damazin, making the fighting part of an increasingly important battle for approaches to the Blue Nile capital.
The Sudanese army offered a competing version of events, saying its forces had repelled attacks by RSF and SPLM-N fighters around Minza and Bashkarkat.
Neither side’s battlefield claims could be independently verified.
Local Sudanese outlet Assayha reported that Badi departed Blue Nile and reached Wad Madani only hours after the attack on his residence and after TASIS forces took additional territory near Damazin.
His appearance outside the region is likely to draw further attention as fighting moves closer to the administrative centre of Blue Nile.
TASIS forces have expanded operations across the region in recent months, with the alliance previously taking control of Kurmuk and Qaisan as well as several military positions close to the Ethiopian frontier.
Blue Nile has consequently emerged as one of the war’s fastest-moving fronts, placing growing pressure on army positions around Damazin and Roseires.
The latest developments also come less than two weeks after Badi extended a state of emergency across Blue Nile for another three months, citing security conditions in the region.
Saturday’s combination of a drone strike inside Damazin, fresh TASIS territorial claims and the governor’s subsequent appearance in Wad Madani underscores the rapidly changing military situation around the Blue Nile capital.
