The Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS) said a senior officer has defected to its ranks in Blue Nile state, as renewed clashes highlight competing battlefield claims between rival forces.
In a statement issued late Saturday, the alliance said a major general from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N), aligned with Malik Agar, had joined its forces in the Khor Yabus area. If confirmed, the move would mark a notable shift in local alliances in one of Sudan’s most contested regions.
The announcement comes amid fresh fighting across Blue Nile, where both TASIS-aligned forces and General al-Burhan’s army (SAF) reported separate operations and conflicting outcomes.
TASIS said its fighters had made further advances in the region, including operations around Al-Kili, describing the developments as part of a broader push to consolidate control along key routes leading to Damazin, the state capital. The group said it captured military equipment and inflicted losses on SAF forces, though the claims could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, the SAF said it repelled an attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied groups on the town of Sali, north of Kurmuk near the Ethiopian border. The army’s 4th Infantry Division said more than 36 combat vehicles were destroyed and others seized during the fighting.
Videos circulated by RSF-linked accounts purported to show captured SAF soldiers in the Al-Kili area, located about 30 kilometres from Kurmuk, though there was no independent confirmation.
Blue Nile state, which borders Ethiopia and South Sudan, has emerged as a key front in recent weeks, with both sides attempting to secure strategic corridors linking border areas to Damazin. Control over towns such as Kurmuk and surrounding areas has shifted repeatedly as the conflict expands.
The reported defection adds a new layer of uncertainty to the conflict dynamics in the state, where overlapping alliances between SAF, SPLM-N factions, RSF, and TASIS-linked forces continue to reshape the battlefield.
