The Sudan military says it has captured a strategic area close to the Ethiopian border as it pushes hard to take back territory in Blue Nile State and cut off supply routes used by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its allies.
According to military sources, government forces recaptured the Al-Bar area in Geissan district and are now moving closer to Kurmuk, a key town on the Sudan-Ethiopia border that has been in RSF and SPLM-N hands since March. The army says this offensive is meant to block rebel advances toward Geissan and eventually retake Kurmuk itself.
Kurmuk is regarded as one of the most important towns in Blue Nile State after the regional capital, Ad-Damazin. Its location gives whoever controls it access to major supply routes and military communication lines linking Sudan with Ethiopia and South Sudan. That is why both sides have been fighting hard for it whoever holds Kurmuk holds a gateway to the southeast.
There is also a diplomatic angle to this fight. Sudanese authorities have repeatedly accused Ethiopia of allowing logistical support and supplies to reach the RSF-SPLM-N alliance through the border.
They have even claimed that Ethiopian territory is being used to stage attacks and receive weapons shipments. Addis Ababa has consistently denied these allegations.
The renewed fighting has raised fears about the wider regional impact of Sudan’s conflict. Earlier this year, cross-border violence was reported after a drone strike blamed on the Sudanese military hit Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz region, killing civilians. Analysts warn that if the fighting spills further over the border, it could create serious diplomatic tensions between the two neighbours.
Sudan’s civil war, which started in April 2023 between the army and the RSF, has already killed tens of thousands of people and forced an estimated 13 million from their homes.
That makes it one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today. With fighting now intensifying in Blue Nile State, there are growing concerns that more civilians could be displaced and the humanitarian situation could get even worse.
Military analysts say that if the army succeeds in capturing Kurmuk, it could significantly weaken RSF operations in southeastern Sudan by cutting off their cross-border supply and reinforcement routes. For now, the battle for this strategic border town is far from over, and the coming days will likely determine who controls the gateway to the Ethiopian frontier.
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