The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), allied with the RSF, said its forces and allied fighters captured two additional towns in Sudan’s Blue Nile region following what it described as swift clashes with General al-Burhan’s SAF.
In a statement, the SPLM-N said coalition forces took control of the towns of Dukan and Karan Karan, south of Al-Kurmuk locality, on Thursday.
The group released video footage purportedly showing fighting in Dukan earlier that morning, claiming the clashes ended with its forces seizing the area and pursuing army troops until late in the day.
Field commander Awad Balla al-Feel said SPLM-N fighters encountered little resistance in Dukan and captured military equipment belonging to General al-Burhan’s army, adding that their forces were advancing toward the area of Khor Hassan.
Sources earlier on Thursday said RSF fighters attacked Dukan and Karan Karan in the Blue Nile region, forcing army troops to withdraw after hours of fighting.
According to the SPLM-N, its forces and RSF allies have captured more than 10 areas since March, which it described as strategically important, including the town of Al-Kurmuk.
Fighting in the Blue Nile region, located in southeastern Sudan near the Ethiopian border, has intensified since February, enabling the RSF-SPLM-N alliance led by Joseph Tuka to expand its control over Al-Kurmuk and several nearby border towns.
In April, General al-Burhan’s SAF deployed military reinforcements to the Blue Nile region, including fighters from the Sudan Shield Forces led by Abu Aqla Keikel.
Sudan has also accused neighboring Ethiopia of providing logistical support to the RSF-SPLM-N alliance operating in the Blue Nile region.
