Sudan army fights off rebel alliance attack on border town of Geisan, officials

August 11, 2026 (GEISAN, Sudan) – An alliance of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) launched a heavy attack on Geisan in the Blue Nile region, local officials said on Tuesday, as fighting intensified along the border area.

The government of Geisan County said the Sudanese army and allied forces were engaged in fierce clashes to repel the assault on the county headquarters.

Local media outlets reported that RSF fighters reached the main market in Geisan, where they looted shops and opened fire on civilians.

The Geisan County media office condemned the morning attack by rebel fighters and forces loyal to Joseph Tuka, a senior SPLM-N commander, calling it a deliberate strike on civilians during the planting season.

Targeting farmers while they are working their fields constitutes a full-fledged war crime, the county administration said in a statement, adding that military forces were continuing to defend the town.

Sudanese authorities have accused neighbouring Ethiopia of facilitating the movement of fighters across the border into Blue Nile and hosting recruitment camps for the RSF, charges Addis Ababa has previously denied.

The Sudanese army recaptured the nearby border town of Kurmuk in June from the RSF-SPLM-N alliance after fighting flared across the region earlier this year.

Kurmuk and Geisan were key battlegrounds during more than two decades of conflict between the central government and southern rebels prior to the 2005 peace agreement that paved the way for South Sudan’s independence.