October 19, 2026 (ED DAMAZIN) — The Sudanese army said on Monday it thwarted an attack by an alliance of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in the Al-Baraka area of Kurmuk locality in Blue Nile region.

Fighting between the military and the joint forces of the RSF and its SPLM-N ally has flared across Blue Nile in southeastern Sudan since January.

In recent months, the RSF-SPLM-N coalition seized the border towns of Kurmuk and Geissan near Ethiopia, alongside the strategic bases of Bakori and Surkum, while the army reinforced positions across multiple axes in a push to regain lost territory.

The army’s 4th Infantry Division command in Blue Nile said in a statement that its troops and allied forces dealt a decisive blow to the RSF and the SPLM-N faction led by Joseph Touka in Al-Baraka, located in the region’s southern sector.

The division command said it executed a targeted operation that disrupted allied movements and halted attempts to advance toward government military positions.

The statement said troops destroyed vehicles and equipment while inflicting heavy casualties on the opposing forces, forcing them to retreat under heavy fire.

The military division reaffirmed its readiness to counter any hostile movements threatening its positions or civilian security.

Commanders of the 4th Infantry Division pledged to continue security operations across the southern sector and deploy forces to recapture areas seized by the allied groups.