Sudanese Army Repels Joint RSF and SPLM-N Attack in Blue Nile Region

20 October 2026

RSF vehicles burn as Sudanese army forces repel an attack in the Sally area of the Blue Nile region, October 20, 2026

October 20, 2026 (ED DAMAZIN) – The Sudanese army announced on Tuesday that it repelled a new attack launched by a coalition of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, targeting areas in the eastern part of the Blue Nile region.

Since last January, the Blue Nile region in Sudan’s far southeast has witnessed active combat between the military on one side, and the RSF and its SPLM-N ally on the other.

Over the past months, the RSF and SPLM-N alliance seized the cities of Kurmuk and Geissan bordering Ethiopia, along with the strategic Bukori and Sirkam bases and surrounding areas.

Meanwhile, the army has been reinforcing its positions across several fronts in the region to recapture these vital territories.

The 4th Infantry Division command said in a statement that its troops and allied forces thwarted a new attempt by the “terrorist militia” and the rebel forces of Joseph Tuka to breach its positions in the Sally area on the eastern axis of the Blue Nile region.

The military said it inflicted heavy losses on the attacking forces in lives and equipment.

The army successfully countered the assault and foiled the enemy’s plan, according to the military statement.

The operation resulted in the seizure of 15 fully equipped combat vehicles and the destruction of five other vehicles belonging to the attacking force.

The statement affirmed the division’s continued commitment to its national duty and decisively confronting all infiltration attempts targeting its positions.

Field operations will continue to enhance security in the area and establish full control, the army added.

The military reiterated its resolve to continue fighting until defeating the rebellion from every inch of the country and foiling plans aimed at destabilizing security and terrorizing citizens and displaced people in the Blue Nile region.