The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reported this Friday that they have taken control of the military bases of Sarkam and Bakuri, in the Blue Nile state, in southeastern Sudan and very close to the border with Ethiopia. The action is part of the joint operations they maintain with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/North-Al Hilu (SPLM/N-Al Hilu) against the Sudanese Army, within the war that began in April 2023.
In a statement released through their social media, the paramilitary forces of the RSF highlighted the "important victories" achieved this Friday in the Blue Nile, "liberating the strategic bases of Sarkam and Bakuri and inflicting a crushing defeat on the (Sudanese) Army." "Our forces have now established total control over the strategic bases of Sarkam and Bakuri in the region," emphasized the armed group.
According to the newspaper 'Sudan Tribune', Bakuri is considered an "important base" for the Sudanese Armed Forces, as it houses the headquarters of the 13th Infantry Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division. For its part, the Sarkam base acts as a "key" operational center in the eastern part of the country.
The Blue Nile state has become an additional front in the conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese Army, which has further aggravated the humanitarian crisis and extended the fighting to areas close to the border with Ethiopia.
The civil war broke out in April 2023 due to deep disagreements over the integration process of the paramilitary group into the Armed Forces, which derailed the political transition opened after the overthrow in 2019 of the regime of Omar Hasan al Bashir. This transition was already weakened after the coup that forced the departure of then-Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
The conflict, in which various countries are participating in support of the opposing sides, has plunged Sudan into one of the worst humanitarian crises on the planet, with millions of displaced and refugee people. The international community remains alert to the spread of diseases and the damage suffered by essential infrastructure, which severely hinders the care of hundreds of thousands of affected individuals.