The fall of Kurmuk on Thursday marks the second time in months that the Blue Nile State town has changed hands, underscoring the fluid front lines of a conflict now in its third year and deepening concerns over control of a key cross-border route linking Ethiopia with the wider Nile Valley.
RSF Coalition Claims Heavy Army Losses
An RSF statement said its coalition had inflicted heavy losses on Sudanese army troops in Kurmuk, forced them to pull back, and seized weapons and ammunition. The coalition includes the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N), which fought alongside the paramilitary group in Thursday’s assault.
Hours after the RSF announcement, Kurmuk’s local administration said the town had come under intensive attacks over three days involving drones and artillery shelling that it said originated from “the regional neighbourhood.” The administration said Sudanese forces had confronted the attacks “with steadfastness and bravery” in defence of the town, its residents, and public institutions — language that contrasted sharply with the RSF claim of an army withdrawal.
Al Jazeera’s Almigdad Alruhaid, reporting from Khartoum, confirmed the RSF advance, citing military and government sources. “The RSF advanced into the town with the army withdrawing and repositioning outside,” he said.
Kurmuk’s Strategic Value in Blue Nile State
Kurmuk sits on an important cross-border route linking Ethiopia with Blue Nile State and the broader Nile Valley, making it a prize for whichever faction controls supply lines and movement between Sudan and its eastern neighbour. The RSF first seized the town in March before the Sudanese army recaptured it last month — a back-and-forth pattern that reflects the war’s grinding attrition along multiple fronts.
Sudan has been engulfed in its latest conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese army and the RSF over plans to integrate the paramilitary force into the regular military. The war has killed tens of thousands and displaced or forced nearly 15 million people to flee their homes, according to UN figures, local authorities, and academic estimates.
Army Repels RSF Assault on North Kordofan Hub
While Kurmuk fell in the east, the Sudanese army said it repelled a separate RSF attack on Jabra al-Sheikh, a major town in North Kordofan. Military sources told Al Jazeera the paramilitary group assaulted the town using heavy artillery and drones, and that RSF fighters were captured and dozens killed in the fighting. An army statement said the assault involved more than 250 combat vehicles.
Jabra al-Sheikh is a key transport hub in the region. Control of the town could allow the RSF to put pressure on el-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, as well as Omdurman near Khartoum — extending the paramilitary’s reach toward Sudan’s political heartland.
The latest attacks came a day after the RSF launched coordinated drone strikes targeting five army-controlled cities hundreds of kilometres apart. Wednesday’s strikes killed two people in el-Obeid and paralysed the city’s market, according to Emergency Lawyers, a rights group that documents atrocities by both sides.
Humanitarian Toll Mounts as Front Lines Shift
Across Sudan, aid workers estimate that more than 200,000 people have been killed in what the UN calls a “war of atrocities.” The conflict has also produced the world’s largest hunger and displacement crises, with the UN warning that the war threatens “an entire generation’s” future. More than 8 million children are out of school, and nearly three-quarters of schools have been affected.
The repeated loss and recapture of towns such as Kurmuk illustrates the difficulty either side faces in consolidating territorial gains. For the Sudanese army, holding Blue Nile State matters not only for border security with Ethiopia but also for maintaining a corridor to the country’s eastern trade routes. For the RSF, pushing into Blue Nile widens the geography of a war already spanning Darfur, Kordofan, and greater Khartoum.
What Happens Next
Watch for whether the Sudanese army attempts a counter-offensive to retake Kurmuk for a second time in as many months, or whether it redirects resources to defend North Kordofan and the approaches to el-Obeid. The RSF’s coordinated drone campaign across five cities suggests a shift toward longer-range strikes designed to stretch army defences — a tactic that could intensify if paramilitary forces consolidate their hold on border crossings. The involvement of the SPLM-N alongside the RSF also signals that the conflict’s alliances are hardening, raising the stakes for any future national dialogue. With humanitarian agencies warning of famine conditions and mass displacement, the speed of any territorial shifts will shape not only the military balance but also the reach of aid to civilians trapped along the front lines.
— Sofia Alvarez, world desk, AXO News