Sudan war: New RSF offensive in Blue Nile ‘diversion from Kordofan front’

The Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, led by Joseph Tuka, launched an attack on the areas of Malakal and El Silak in southern Blue Nile state this morning. Field sources reported that the Sudanese Armed Forces repelled a large-scale attack on the two areas, while some experts considered the attack an attempt to open a new front in Blue Nile state, which they believe has been in preparation for some time. The experts ruled out the possibility of capturing the region, and predicted that the attack was an attempt to divert the army’s attention from the Kordofan front.

The Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, led by Joseph Tuka, control areas in southern Blue Nile bordering Ethiopia and South Sudan.

The armed forces had reinforced their presence in Blue Nile State during January in anticipation of any attacks.

Analysts published satellite images they believe show a Rapid Support Forces training camp in Ethiopia, near the border with the Blue Nile region.

They noted the transfer of technical vehicles and military equipment from Somaliland to the Ethiopian town of Dire Dawa in November 2025, and their subsequent relocation to Assosa in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, near the Sudanese border. However, other analysts dismissed the possibility of Ethiopia conducting such activities in this sensitive area, which includes the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).