Sudanese army deploys brigade in Blue Nile state amid fighting with RSF

The Sudanese army on Saturday announced the deployment of a brigade to the Bakori operational axis in southeastern Blue Nile state amid fighting with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The army's 4th Infantry Division in Damazin said in a statement that the "Elite Brigade" of the security and intelligence service departed Saturday morning for the Bakori axis on a combat mission.

"The deployment aims to reinforce forces stationed in the area, boost their operational capabilities and support ongoing military operations," the statement said.

Maj. Gen. Ismail al-Tayeb Hussein, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, stressed the importance of readiness, discipline and combat preparedness while seeing off the troops.

The development came a day after Hussein visited the Fazogli areas in Blue Nile state following what the army said were attacks by the RSF and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N).

On Friday, the RSF claimed that it had seized the Bakori and Sarkam military bases southeast of Damazin, the capital of Blue Nile state. The army had not commented on the claim as of Saturday morning.

On Thursday, the army said it had shot down a hostile strategic drone in Blue Nile state after it crossed the border from Ethiopia, the third such drone the military said it had downed within a week.

Alongside Blue Nile and Darfur, fighting between the army and RSF has continued in the three states of the Kordofan region — North, West and South Kordofan — since Oct. 25, 2025.

Sudan has been engulfed in a conflict between the army and RSF since April 2023, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing around 13 million, according to UN and international estimates.