Sudan army claims victory in Blue Nile as Khartoum fighting rages

October 8, 2024 (DAMAZIN/KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese army said on Tuesday it had retaken a town in the southeastern Blue Nile state from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group while fighting intensified in the capital, Khartoum.

The fighting in Blue Nile is part of a broader struggle for control of the region, which began after the RSF seized significant portions of Sennar State in late June.

The paramilitary force has since pushed into the Blue Nile, capturing towns like Jariwa and Roro and imposing a crippling siege on the state capital, Damazin.

This has resulted in a severe humanitarian crisis, with supply lines cut off and prices for essential goods skyrocketing.

The army said that the 159th Battalion of the 4th Infantry Division had “liberated” Jariwa, inflicting heavy casualties and forcing the RSF to flee. Jariwa is located in the Al-Tadamun district, which borders the Al-Dali and Al-Mazmum districts in Sennar State.

In Khartoum, residents reported heavy clashes in the central Al-Mugran area, with the army using air strikes in its push towards its headquarters and the Republican Palace.

The army is trying to advance from the north and south of Omdurman towards central Khartoum, where its main command centre and government buildings are located. However, RSF snipers are hindering their progress.

Videos circulating online, purportedly from army sources, showed destroyed RSF tanks on Nile Street.

On September 26, the army launched a major offensive to retake Khartoum and its sister cities of Omdurman and Bahri.

Separately, fighting was reported in Gedaref state, where the army and allied forces said they had clashed with the RSF in two villages bordering Sennar. Three soldiers were killed and four wounded in the fighting.