Sudan’s Army Retakes Strategic Town Near Ethiopian Border in Major Blow to RSF

Sudan’s national army has retaken a strategic town near the Ethiopian border in what military analysts are calling a significant turning point in a conflict that has devastated the country for more than two years. The capture of the town — located in southeastern Blue Nile state — represents a rare major battlefield success for the Sudanese Armed Forces against the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group that has controlled large swaths of territory since the war began in April 2023.

The offensive reportedly inflicted heavy losses on the RSF and displaced thousands of civilians who had been living in the town and surrounding villages. Military spokespeople said the operation was designed to secure a vital corridor used for smuggling weapons and supplies that the RSF had relied upon for months. Blue Nile state has long been a contested region due to its proximity to Ethiopia and the presence of various armed groups that have exploited the chaos of Sudan’s broader conflict.

The war between the army and the RSF has killed tens of thousands of people and triggered one of the world’s largest displacement crises, with more than 10 million people displaced either internally or as refugees. The fighting has spread beyond Sudan’s borders, destabilising neighbouring Chad, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic. Humanitarian organisations have repeatedly warned that famine conditions are now widespread, particularly in the Darfur region and parts of Kordofan.

The RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo — widely known as Hemedti — has maintained control of Khartoum’s capital and much of western Sudan, but has faced mounting pressure from a series of coordinated military operations by the army in recent weeks. The loss of the border town is particularly significant because the RSF had used the area to maintain supply lines connecting it to allied militias and commercial networks operating across the Ethiopian frontier.

International Community Calls for Immediate Ceasefire

The African Union and the United Nations have renewed calls for both sides to agree to an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire. Special envoys have been attempting to bring the warring parties to the negotiating table, though all previous peace initiatives have collapsed. The RSF has in the past rejected internationally brokered agreements, insisting on conditions that the army has refused to accept.

Neighbouring Ethiopia has expressed concern about spillover effects, including the arrival of refugees and reports that armed groups are using its territory as a refuge. Ethiopian officials have denied directly supporting either side in the conflict, though regional intelligence sources suggest that elements within Ethiopia’s military have maintained informal contacts with both the Sudanese army and RSF commanders operating near the border.

The military situation on the ground remains highly fluid, and neither side appears close to achieving a decisive victory. But the capture of the border town has shifted the momentum in favour of the Sudanese army at a moment when international attention on the conflict had been fading. Aid groups warn that any intensification of fighting in Blue Nile state will only deepen the humanitarian catastrophe that has already affected millions of civilians across the country.

What Comes Next for Sudan’s Fractured Nation

Beyond the immediate military calculus, the conflict in Sudan has laid bare the deep structural divisions that have long defined the country’s politics. The army, led by de facto head of state Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, originally formed from Janjaweed militias that gained international notoriety during the Darfur crisis, represent two rival visions for Sudan’s future — one rooted in traditional state structures and the other in a more decentralised, militia-based model of power.

Observers say that unless a political agreement can be reached, the fighting is likely to continue for months or even years, inflicting further devastation on a population that has already endured decades of conflict and instability. The stakes are enormous: Sudan sits at the crossroads of the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, and the Arab world, and its trajectory will shape regional security for years to come.

For now, the focus remains on the battlefield. The army’s advance near the Ethiopian border may prove to be a tactical victory, but it is unlikely to end the war on its own. Both sides retain significant fighting capacity, and the underlying disputes over power-sharing and the future of the country’s security forces remain unresolved.