RSF claims gains in Blue Nile as drone strikes kill civilians in White Nile and North Kordofan

Field commanders of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced on Saturday that their fighters had seized the Surkum area near Sali in the El Kurmuk area of Sudan’s Blue Nile region amid escalating clashes with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

RSF leaders circulated videos showing military vehicles they said had been captured from the army during the operation. Radio Dabanga could not independently verify the footage.

Fighting in the Blue Nile region has intensified since January, with the SAF battling both the RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz El Hilu.

Last week, the SAF said it had repelled an attack on Amora station in Qaisan locality as both sides continued to exchange attacks and vie for control of strategic positions.

Earlier this year, forces aligned with the Sudan Founding Alliance (Tasees]), including the RSF and SPLM-N, captured the border town of El Kurmuk near Ethiopia, prompting accusations that Ethiopian forces had supported the offensive.

The renewed violence has deepened the humanitarian crisis. According to the International Organization for Migration(IOM), fighting displaced more than 10,000 people in Blue Nile during three weeks in May alone. The agency said 59,742 people, comprising 11,956 families, were displaced across the region between January 11 and May 21.

‘Deadly drone attacks’

Sources in White Nile State reported that a drone strike hit a fuel station in Kosti on Sunday morning, killing and injuring civilians amid a worsening fuel shortage.

The Sudan Doctors Network said the attack killed one person and injured five others after an RSF drone targeted the station. Other sources reported four deaths and ten injuries.

The strike came as residents queued for fuel, with videos showing long lines of vehicles outside petrol stations across the city.

In neighbouring North Kordofan, the RSF launched another drone attack on Umm Rawaba on Sunday morning. Sources were still assessing casualties and damage.

The attacks form part of a broader drone campaign targeting El Obeid and other towns in North Kordofan. Recent strikes on fuel stations and areas near military facilities have drawn widespread local and international condemnation.

The United Nations Security Council, the European Union, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have all expressed concern over continuing attacks on civilian areas and infrastructure.

Military sources also reported that the Sudanese Armed Forces carried out airstrikes on RSF positions around Bara in North Kordofan.

The Sudan Doctors Network condemned the continued targeting of civilian facilities, describing the attacks as serious violations that are worsening civilian suffering amid an already dire humanitarian situation.

The network renewed its call on the international community and humanitarian organisations to pressure RSF leaders to protect civilians and safeguard medical and public-service facilities. It also urged all parties to halt attacks on residential neighbourhoods and markets, pledging to continue documenting violations and monitoring the war’s impact on civilians and health services.