Sudanese army forces have recaptured the Al-Silk area in Blue Nile state near the Ethiopian border after intense clashes with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the military said on Monday, marking another territorial shift in Sudan’s nearly two-year conflict.
In a statement, the army’s 4th Infantry Division said government troops regained full control of Al-Silk following what it described as a “well-planned military operation” that led to the rout of RSF fighters. The military claimed the operation inflicted heavy losses in personnel and equipment on the RSF and its ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N).
There was no immediate response from either the RSF or the SPLM-N regarding the army’s claims.
The recapture followed renewed fighting in Blue Nile state over the weekend. On Sunday, the army said it had thwarted an RSF assault on the Al-Silk and Malkan areas, preventing further advances by the paramilitary group in the region. Military sources earlier told Anadolu Agency that Sudanese forces also expelled RSF and SPLM-N fighters from the town of Habila in neighboring South Kordofan state.
Blue Nile remains strategically important due to its proximity to Ethiopia and South Sudan. While the army controls large parts of the state, the SPLM-N has been engaged in an insurgency against Sudan’s central government since 2011, seeking greater autonomy for South Kordofan and Blue Nile.
Fighting has intensified in recent weeks across Sudan’s three Kordofan states and Darfur, as clashes between the army and RSF have spread beyond major urban centers. The renewed violence has displaced tens of thousands of civilians, compounding an already severe humanitarian crisis marked by food shortages, damaged infrastructure, and limited access to aid.
According to military assessments, the RSF currently controls all five states of the western Darfur region, with the exception of parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. The Sudanese army holds most of the remaining 13 states, spanning the north, south, east, and central regions of the country, including the capital Khartoum.
The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 following a power struggle between rival military leaders. Since then, thousands have been killed and millions forced from their homes, making the conflict one of the world’s largest displacement crises.
