The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claimed control of Kurmuk in Sudan’s Blue Nile state on August 13, days after disputed fighting around nearby Geissan. The claim, reported by Sudans Post, has not been independently confirmed. Sudans Post cited local sources describing drone strikes ahead of an RSF ground assault from the Ethiopian border area.
The Kurmuk claim follows a more clearly documented escalation around Geissan. Reuters reported the RSF said it captured Geissan on August 11, a claim local authorities disputed while saying the army was fighting back. Kurmuk itself changed hands earlier this year, with Sudan Tribune reporting SAF recaptured the town on July 8 after RSF and SPLM-N (Al-Hilu) forces had seized it in March.
Sudanese officials have alleged RSF and SPLM-N (Al-Hilu) operations use Ethiopian territory as a staging ground, an allegation Ethiopia denies. The renewed fighting in Blue Nile has already displaced civilians on a large scale. IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix recorded nearly 60,000 people displaced across Blue Nile state between January and late May, including from Kurmuk and Geissan.
