Addis Abeba — Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked the border town of Geissan in Blue Nile State on Tuesday, according to the RSF and local authorities, while a Sudanese army source told AFP that the assault was launched “from inside Ethiopian territory.”
The fighting triggered a fresh displacement, with about 2,500 people fleeing Geissan, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The UN agency said its Displacement Tracking Matrix teams estimated that around 500 families were displaced as security conditions deteriorated. Most of those displaced moved to other locations within the Geissan area, while others crossed the border into Ethiopia, the IOM said. The agency described the situation as “tense and volatile” and said its teams were continuing to monitor developments.
Geissan authorities said the army had repelled an attack by the RSF and its ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu. The RSF, however, claimed it had captured Geissan and military positions in the town. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
AFP and Anadolu News Agency, which reported the developments separately, said the conflicting battlefield claims could not immediately be independently verified. A Sudanese military source, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said government-aligned forces were confronting the attackers and had inflicted heavy losses on their ranks.
The source also alleged that the assault was launched from inside Ethiopian territory. There was no immediate response from Ethiopian authorities to the allegation. Sudan’s army-aligned government has repeatedly accused the RSF of launching attacks from Ethiopian territory. In May, Khartoum also accused Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates of facilitating drone attacks launched from inside Ethiopia against several Sudanese states, including strikes on Khartoum and its airport.
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Ethiopia has rejected allegations that it hosts RSF or Emirati forces, while the UAE denies accusations that it arms the paramilitary group. Blue Nile State has emerged as an increasingly important front in Sudan’s war, with the RSF conducting ground offensives and intensifying drone attacks in an effort to challenge army control in the southeast.
The army said on 10 July that it had repelled an attack on the areas of Dim Saad and Yara in the Geissan district. The Sudanese army controls large parts of Blue Nile State, while the SPLM-N has fought the government since 2011, seeking greater autonomy for South Kordofan and Blue Nile. Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
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The RSF and the Sudanese army have been fighting since April 2023 over the planned integration of the paramilitary force into the national military. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced around 13 million, according to humanitarian agencies, creating one of the world’s largest displacement and humanitarian crises. The latest fighting along the Ethiopia-Sudan border comes amid renewed tensions in the wider area. Earlier this month, hundreds of Ethiopians fled into Sudan following fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, according to Sudanese security and medical sources cited by AFP.
