Adel Abdelrheem and Lina Altawell
21 September 2026•Update: 21 September 2026
The Sudanese army made battlefield advances Monday in parts of Kurmuk locality in southeastern Blue Nile state following clashes with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N).
“The armed forces and allied forces made field advances northeast of Kurmuk locality in the Keren Keren administrative unit, covering the areas of Balbung, Midel and Khor al-Hassan,” the Kurmuk locality authorities said in a statement.
The statement said the army seized several vehicles and an ammunition depot during the advance.
The leadership of the army’s 4th Infantry Division congratulated the forces on the development and praised their efforts and sacrifices.
There was no immediate comment from the RSF on the developments.
On Sunday, Sudanese authorities said they had thwarted an attack by the RSF and SPLM-N on the areas of Maqja and Mada in Blue Nile state.
On Saturday, the Sudanese army said it carried out a “well-planned ambush” against RSF and SPLM-N forces in the Maqra area of Blue Nile, inflicting heavy losses and destroying a large number of military vehicles and equipment.
A day earlier, the army announced a preemptive attack south of the Al-Keili area in the same state, saying it destroyed nine RSF combat vehicles along with their equipment.
Alongside Blue Nile and Darfur, Sudan’s three Kordofan states, North, West and South Kordofan, have witnessed clashes between the army and the RSF since Oct. 25, 2025.
Sudan has been engulfed in a war between the army and the RSF since April 2023, leaving tens of thousands dead and around 13 million people displaced, according to UN and international estimates.
