Sudanese military and government sources say the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied groups have entered Kurmuk, a town on Sudan's border with Ethiopia, as government troops begin to withdraw.
According to sources speaking to Al Jazeera, the RSF and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) entered Kurmuk in Blue Nile state on Thursday. An RSF statement said the alliance it leads inflicted heavy losses on the army at Kurmuk, forcing a withdrawal and seizing weapons and ammunition.
However, local authorities in Kurmuk said the town had endured intense attacks over the past three days, involving drones and artillery, which they said originated from “nearby areas.” Local officials stressed that the Sudanese army continued to respond to the attacks “with resilience and courage” to protect the town, its residents, and public institutions.
Kurmuk lies on a key cross-border route linking Ethiopia with the Blue Nile region and the broader Nile Valley. Al Jazeera's correspondent, citing military and government sources, reported that the RSF advanced deep into the town while the army withdrew and repositioned outside. The RSF previously captured the town in March, but Sudanese forces retook it last month.
The conflict in Sudan erupted in April 2023 when fighting broke out between the army and the RSF over plans to integrate the paramilitary force into the regular military. According to United Nations data, local authorities, and academic estimates, the war has killed tens of thousands and displaced about 15 million people.
In a related development, the Sudanese army said it repelled an RSF attack on the town of Jabra al-Sheikh in North Kordofan. Military sources said the paramilitary group attacked with heavy artillery and drones, killing dozens of fighters and capturing others. The army statement said the assault involved more than 250 fighting vehicles.
Jabra al-Sheikh is a key transportation hub in the region; controlling it could help the RSF pressure el-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, and Omdurman near Khartoum. The latest attacks came a day after the RSF launched a series of drone strikes on five army-held cities hundreds of kilometers apart. Wednesday's attacks killed two people in el-Obeid and paralyzed the city's market, according to the Emergency Lawyers rights group.
Across Sudan, aid workers estimate more than 200,000 people have been killed in a conflict the UN calls “brutal.” The war has also triggered the world's largest hunger and displacement crisis.
