The Sudanese Army has reported that it repelled an attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary against Blue Nile State in southeastern Sudan.
The army said the Forth Infantry Division forces had thwarted the attack on Guli.
It added that the army seized RSF equipment and neutralised dozens of RSF fighters.
Blue Nile State joins 13 of 18 states in Sudan that have been directly affected by ongoing violence.
The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 between Army General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo concerning disagreements about integrating the RSF into the army.
The conflict has caused a devastating humanitarian crisis, and fighting has killed nearly 16,000 victims and displaced millions.
Sudan filed a complaint with the UN Security Council on March 29 against the United Arab Emirates for allegedly supporting the RSF, a charge the UAE denies.
Meanwhile, the Sudanese army deputy commander Yasir Al-Atta said army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan offered to hand over power to his deputy commander now, underscoring the military’s lack of desire to hold power after the war’s end.The comments by Yasir al-Atta on state television on Saturday came amid criticism of Burhan’s leadership during the conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Al-Atta said Burhan had offered to step down several days ago but that Al-Atta had told him to wait until after the war.
“Three or four days ago, I was talking to al-Burhan, and he said, ‘I’ve reached my limit. Agree with (Shams al-Din) Kabbashi (the army deputy commander in chief) so we can hand over power to him,” al-Atta said.
The RSF has accused the army of being influenced by Islamists. Al-Atta retorted by saying the RSF had recruited Islamist officers dismissed during a transition period that followed the ousting of Omer al-Bashir in 2019.
The army deputy chief also criticised the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), a civilian alliance, for calling for an end to the war, saying the group lacked the experience to govern.
In the hour-long interview, al-Atta emphasized the military’s unity and determination to continue fighting “until the Janjaweed (using a term the army uses to refer to the RSF) are eliminated or surrender unconditionally”.