Sudan: RSF says it has seized town near Ethiopian border
KHARTOUM – The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said Thursday that they had captured Geissan in Sudan’s Blue Nile region, close to the Ethiopian border. The Sudanese army rejected the claim, saying clashes were continuing and that its forces still held a key military base.
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About 2,500 people have been displaced by the fighting, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said. Some civilians have crossed into Ethiopia in an effort to reach safety.
The assault unfolded during the harvest season. The RSF has been accused of looting crops and ransacking Geissan’s central market, although the allegations could not be independently verified.
Geissan’s position could strengthen the RSF’s influence over supply routes in southeastern Sudan while moving the group closer to the strategically significant Roseires Dam.
Khartoum has also alleged that Ethiopia is helping facilitate military support from the United Arab Emirates to the RSF, a charge Addis Ababa has denied. Analysts say the operation may be intended to stretch army forces as they advance on other fronts in Sudan’s war.
AXADLETM
