NAIROBI
Sudanese army forces battled the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) on the outskirts of the strategic city of Kurmuk in southeastern Blue Nile state on Friday, military sources said.
Army forces and allied units launched a large-scale offensive to retake the city after hours of fighting, the sources, who spoke to Anadolu on condition of anonymity, said.
The army mounted a heavy assault on RSF front-line positions around Kurmuk, they added.
The offensive follows recent territorial gains by the army in Blue Nile state, where it has recaptured several areas along the borders with Ethiopia and South Sudan.
Kurmuk, one of the largest cities in Blue Nile state alongside the state capital Ad-Damazin, lies near the Ethiopian border. It is strategically important because it controls key supply lines, military communication routes and overland access to Ethiopia and South Sudan.
The RSF and the SPLM-N captured Kurmuk on March 24.
The Sudanese army controls large parts of Blue Nile state, while the SPLM-N has been fighting the government since 2011, seeking autonomy for South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
Since April 2023, the Sudanese army and the RSF have been at war, triggering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced about 13 million, according to international estimates.
