Sudanese army recaptures strategic town of Al-Kaily in Blue Nile

May 9, 2026 (ED DAMAZIN) – The Sudanese army said on Saturday it had regained control of the town of Al-Kaily in the Blue Nile region following intense battles with a coalition of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu.

The RSF and allied forces had seized the strategically significant town, near the Ethiopian border, on April 25 after heavy fighting.

The command of the army’s 4th Infantry Division in the Blue Nile region said in a statement that its forces and supporting units liberated the area on the outskirts of Kurmuk city in the southern axis.

The military command added that the army inflicted heavy losses in lives and equipment on the RSF and the forces of commander Joseph Touka, noting that the remaining fighters fled the area.

Thousands of people gathered in the main streets of Ed Damazin to celebrate the recapture of Al-Kaily as the military pledged to continue operations until it secures the entire region and the border.

Fighting has intensified in the Blue Nile region in Sudan’s southeast since February, allowing the alliance between the RSF and Joseph Touka’s faction to seize Kurmuk and other border towns.

On Thursday, the coalition took control of the towns of Dukan and Karan Karan, where local officials reported the looting of agricultural stocks and the destruction of health centres and water sources.

Kurmuk Governor Abdal-Ati Mohammed said the recent violence and destruction in those areas forced approximately 30,000 people to flee their homes.

Sudan has accused neighbouring Ethiopia of providing logistical support to the RSF and SPLM-N coalition in the region, a charge that Addis Ababa has denied.