RSF Recaptures Kurmuk, Blue Nile, as SAF Withdraws
The RSF announced on August 13, 2026 that it had recaptured Kurmuk, Blue Nile State — the second Blue Nile town it has seized in a week, after Geisan on August 11 — as Sudanese army forces withdrew. RSF fighters said they chased SAF combatants out of the town and seized large amounts of hardware and ammunition, and video showed RSF personnel celebrating the takeover. The RSF had originally seized Kurmuk on March 23, 2026, staging from Ethiopia, before the army recaptured it on July 8; the mass grave of 25 civilians was discovered there just four days earlier, on August 9. Kurmuk sits roughly 140km from the Blue Nile state capital Ed Damazin and 160km from the strategically vital Roseires Dam. SAF had not publicly responded to the loss of either town at time of writing.
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- T2 The National — Sudan's RSF says it captured key town near Ethiopian and South Sudan borders Major western
- T2 Al Jazeera — Sudan army says RSF advance on key town bordering Ethiopia Major middle_eastern