SAF Retakes Five Towns in Blue Nile's Qaysan District — RSF/SPLM-N Forces Pushed Toward Ethiopian Border

Sudanese Armed Forces retook Abdaqla, Adi, Washimbu, Um Shanqar, and Kinshinkaru in Qaysan district, Blue Nile State on May 26, 2026, forcing RSF and allied SPLM-N (al-Hilu) forces to retreat toward the Ethiopian border. The advance is part of SAF's sustained Blue Nile offensive that has progressively rolled back the RSF-SPLM-N coalition since its capture of Kurmuk on March 23, 2026. The SAF counteroffensive in Blue Nile follows a coordinated multi-front strategy: SAF recaptured Al-Barka near Kurmuk (May 24), Kern Kern and Doukan (May 18), and Khor Hasan (May 15) in rapid succession throughout May. The Qaysan gains push the front line southeast toward the Ethiopian border, compressing the RSF-SPLM-N Blue Nile pocket and threatening to cut the corridor through which SPLM-N fighters stage from Ethiopia. Qaysan district was among the areas seized during the RSF-SPLM-N push that also triggered 50,000+ Blue Nile civilian displacements and a 4,000+ Ethiopian border refugee flow in March 2026. The SAF-aligned Savanna Movement also announced its intention to fight alongside SAF forces in Blue Nile on May 15, expanding the coalition pushing against the RSF-SPLM-N alliance. IOM documented 73,000+ newly displaced people fleeing into Ed Damazin (Blue Nile capital) following the March RSF-SPLM-N offensive; retaking Qaysan district aims to enable eventual civilian return.