Africa — 2026-05-10

Sudan Army Retakes Strategic Blue Nile Garrison from RSF

Sudan's 4th Infantry Division said Friday it had recaptured Al-Keili, a Blue Nile State town on the Damazin-Kurmuk axis, from RSF and SPLM-N allied forces that seized it in late April, in a statement seen by Sudan Post. Anadolu Agency and the Addis Standard reported a recapture by the 4th Infantry Division in the same Blue Nile border sector but named the location Al-Silk; neither the RSF nor SPLM-N issued comment to any of the three outlets. Sudan Post geolocated footage showing SAF soldiers inside Al-Keili and cited Blue Nile governor Ahmed Al-Omda Badi confirming the clearance; a local security source told the outlet that withdrawing RSF fighters crossed into Ethiopia near Kurmuk.

Analysis
The recapture, corroborated across three outlets despite a naming discrepancy between Al-Keili and Al-Silk, converts last month's government loss into evidence the Blue Nile front remains actively contested. SAF reinforcements in the Damazin-Dindiro corridor beforehand indicate a deliberate concentration rather than an opportunistic push. Whether the SAF holds the garrison for 30 days is genuinely uncertain given rapid territorial exchange on this axis since April 2023. The recapture may reflect a temporary force draw-down elsewhere the RSF could exploit by escalating in Kordofan or Darfur. RSF withdrawal into Ethiopia near Kurmuk lends new relevance to Khartoum's standing allegations that South Sudan and the UAE facilitate RSF logistics along the Blue Nile frontier.

3 sources

Sudan army retakes strategic Blue Nile garrison from RSF - Sudan Post
Sudan's army recaptures major area from paramilitary RSF near Ethiopia border - Anadolu Agency
Sudan's army recaptures key area near Ethiopian border from RSF - Addis Standard