SAF 4th Infantry Division Retakes Al-Kayli Area Near Kurmuk, Blue Nile State

Sudan's Armed Forces announced on May 10, 2026 that the Fourth Infantry Division and supporting forces had recaptured the Al-Kayli (Al-Keili) area near Al-Kurmuk city in Blue Nile State, following intense clashes with RSF fighters and SPLM-North forces. The SAF statement said its forces 'succeeded in liberating the Al-Kayli area.' The recapture is significant: RSF-aligned pro-paramilitary sources had earlier claimed control of Al-Kayli in mid-April 2026, positioning it as a major staging area roughly 90 miles south of Ed Damazin on the axis toward the Roseires Dam and Blue Nile State's capital. Al-Kayli is near Kurmuk city, which itself was captured by RSF-SPLM-N forces on March 23–24, 2026 in a major offensive staged from Ethiopia's Benishangul-Gumuz region. The SAF's Fourth Infantry Division, commanded by Major General Ismail al-Tayeb Hussein, had been defending south of Ed Damazin since the Kurmuk fall. The retaking of Al-Kayli disrupts RSF-SPLM-N logistics on the Kurmuk–Damazin axis, reduces the threat to Ed Damazin and the Roseires Dam, and represents a meaningful SAF defensive recovery in what has been one of the war's most active fronts since March 2026. Over 73,000 civilians remain displaced from Blue Nile State, mostly sheltering in Ed Damazin. Earlier, on April 21, SAF had also recaptured Muqja station on the same axis.