Sudan Conflict Sees RSF Intensify Blue Nile Operations While Army Reports Gains

Sudan’s army reports that 318 Rapid Support Forces fighters, including four commanders, have defected and joined its ranks in Northern State, arriving with up to 50 combat vehicles, as repeated defections add to mounting pressure on the RSF amid ongoing heavy clashes across multiple regions in the Sudan conflict. [1]

Latest RSF Defections to Sudanese Army

A group of 318 members of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, including four commanders, has defected to the Sudanese army, according to Sudanese authorities. [1] The group reportedly arrived with up to 50 combat vehicles and announced its decision to join the armed forces in Al-Dabba locality in Northern State. [1] Border Guards commander Mohamed Saleh Younes said the army would welcome those choosing to return to its ranks, adding that military forces would continue efforts to restore security across the country. [1] Lieutenant-Colonel Musa Ali Ahmed, identified as the leader of the defectors, attributed their decision to what he described as the lack of institutional structures within the RSF. [1] He said the group chose to join the army in the interest of maintaining Sudan’s unity. [1]

Pattern of RSF Leadership Losses

The latest defection follows the reported departure of another 300 RSF personnel, including 21 commanders, who joined the army last week. [1] Among those reported to have recently left the group are political adviser Fares al-Nour, field commander Ali Rizqallah and Major-General Al-Nour Ahmed Adam. [1] The repeated defections point to mounting pressure on the RSF, which has faced losses among both its military and political leadership. [1] The latest arrivals could provide the Sudanese army with additional personnel and vehicles as it seeks to consolidate its military position against the RSF. [1] For the paramilitary group, however, the growing number of defections risks weakening its ranks and highlighting internal divisions as the conflict enters another prolonged phase. [1]

Sudanese army welcomes 318 defected RSF fighters with 50 combat vehicles in Northern State. — Source: reliefweb

Drone Warfare Escalation in North Kordofan

The Sudanese Armed Forces said on Monday that its air defences shot down two long-range drones operated by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces over North Kordofan, as the paramilitary group steps up drone attacks across the state. [3] The SAF said it intercepted an FH-95 drone in the Jargeira area before announcing a second interception over Bara, a key town in northern North Kordofan. [3] In a statement, the army spokesperson said air defences had shot down a hostile FH-95 drone in the Jargeira area. [3] A second statement confirmed the downing of another FH-95 drone in Bara. [3] The RSF has significantly increased its use of drones in recent weeks, with Bara, Jabra El Sheikh and areas along the export route towards El Obeid facing repeated attacks. [3] The escalation has added pressure to an increasingly volatile front in North Kordofan, where both sides are seeking to control key routes and strategic towns. [3] The latest interceptions come amid mounting international concern over the expanding use of drones in Sudan's war. [3] The United Nations has repeatedly warned that drone strikes are placing civilians at growing risk, with attacks reported across several Sudanese states in recent days. [3] In June, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned a sharp increase in drone warfare across Sudan. [3] The UN said drone attacks had killed more than 1,000 civilians during the first five months of 2026 alone. [3] The surge has transformed Sudan's battlefield, allowing both the SAF and RSF to strike targets far beyond conventional front lines while exposing populated areas to increasingly lethal attacks. [3]

Shifting Fronts in Blue Nile and Kordofan

Sudan's battlefield is undergoing rapid shifts across several fronts, with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces intensifying military operations in Blue Nile state, according to security and military expert Brig Gen Dr Jamal El Shahid. [4] El Shahid told Radio Dabanga that the RSF and Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, reportedly led by Joseph Toka, have stepped up attacks against Sudanese Armed Forces positions in Blue Nile, backed by troops and drones launched from bases in two countries along Sudan's south-eastern border. [4] The escalation has reportedly forced the army to withdraw from the towns of El Kurmuk and Geisan, where it is repositioning its forces around the two strategic locations. [4] El-Shahid said reports had also tracked the arrival of logistical support for the RSF through Assosa, the capital city of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region in Ethiopia, which he said could help the paramilitary group expand its operations in Blue Nile. [4] El Shahid said the SAF had consolidated control over large areas of Kordofan and inflicted heavy losses on its opponents along the desert axis, particularly around Bir Saliba and Umm Sayala. [4] He said the army was also preparing for further operations in Darfur, including a potential offensive towards El Fasher and mobilisation for what he described as the Battle of El Geneina. [4] According to El Shahid, the SAF's growing use of a new aircraft fleet has made a tangible difference on the battlefield, while divisions within the RSF and growing public dissatisfaction with its rule could further weaken the paramilitary group. [4] He pointed to recent demonstrations and expressions of public anger against the RSF in Zalingei, as well as tensions between the paramilitary leadership and its civilian allies. [4] El Shahid linked the latest battlefield developments to the SAF's Armed Forces Day celebrations, held inside Khartoum and at the Presidential Palace following the army's recapture of the capital, Wad Madani and Sennar. [4] The celebrations, he said, were intended to reassure the Sudanese public while sending a message abroad that the army had restored stability and was consolidating its control. [4] The presence of foreign diplomats in the capital has reinforced that message, El Shahid said, pointing to the activities of ambassadors from countries including the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia in central Khartoum. [4]

Sudan army welcomes 318 defected RSF fighters and 50 combat vehicles in Northern State. — Source: reliefweb

Conflict Background and Humanitarian Toll

The army and the RSF have been locked in a devastating conflict since April 2023, with neither side securing a lasting political settlement. [1] Fighting spreads across Sudan with heavy clashes continuing across several regions, including Darfur, Blue Nile and the states of North, West and South Kordofan. [1] The conflict erupted from a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. [1] The war has triggered one of the world's largest displacement crises, with UN and international estimates putting the death toll at tens of thousands and the number of displaced people at nearly 13 million. [1]

Military and Political Implications

The latest arrivals could provide the Sudanese army with additional personnel and vehicles as it seeks to consolidate its military position against the RSF. [1] For the paramilitary group, however, the growing number of defections risks weakening its ranks and highlighting internal divisions as the conflict enters another prolonged phase. [1] According to El Shahid, the SAF's growing use of a new aircraft fleet has made a tangible difference on the battlefield, while divisions within the RSF and growing public dissatisfaction with its rule could further weaken the paramilitary group. [4] He pointed to recent demonstrations and expressions of public anger against the RSF in Zalingei, as well as tensions between the paramilitary leadership and its civilian allies. [4]

What to watch next: The SAF is preparing for further operations in Darfur, including a potential offensive towards El Fasher and mobilisation for the Battle of El Geneina, while the RSF continues to draw logistical support through Assosa in Ethiopia to expand operations in Blue Nile.