RSF-SPLM-N force claims advance near Blue Nile capital, army disputes push

October 4, 2026 (ED DAMAZIN) – A Sudanese rebel group allied with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said on Sunday it had captured a strategic area near the Blue Nile state capital, though the military said it had repelled the advance.

The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) said in a statement that allied forces took control of Al-Kadalou, a border zone in Roseires locality near Ethiopia, and said its fighters planned to advance toward the state capital of Ed Damazin.

The group claimed it seized eight positions across Al-Kadalou following what it described as fierce clashes with the military, capturing 20 combat vehicles and taking several soldiers prisoner.

Sudan Tribune could not independently verify the battlefield claims.

Sudan’s army said on Saturday that its troops had thwarted an attempted push by the RSF and the SPLM-N in the Minza and Bashkarkat areas in eastern Blue Nile.

Al-Kadalou lies roughly 50 km (30 miles) from Roseires and 60 km from Ed Damazin, near the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam reservoir and Dinder National Park. The area also provides timber and mineral revenue for southeastern Sudan.

Fighting in Blue Nile flared in January between the Sudanese army and the RSF-SPLM-N alliance, which previously took control of the border localities of Kurmuk and Geisan, as well as the Bakori and Surkum military bases.