Sudan Accuses Ethiopia of Aiding Rebel Assault on Kurmuk

23 March 2026

SPLA-N fighters at the strategic town of Deim Mansour of the Blue Nile region on Feb 3, 2026

March 23, 2026 (ED DAMAZIN) – A Sudanese government official on Monday accused Ethiopia of facilitating attacks by the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North through its territory to capture the strategic town of Kurmuk.

The official told Sudan Tribune that the assault on the Blue Nile region town was “sponsored” by Ethiopia. The source claimed combat vehicles moved from Assosa in Ethiopia to Khor al-Dahab on the Ethiopian side of the border to launch the offensive.

Fierce battles are reportedly raging across multiple fronts around Kurmuk as the RSF and SPLM-N alliance attempts to seize control.

The SPLM-N said in a statement on Monday that its joint forces “crushed” the Sudanese army in the Jurut area near Kurmuk. The group claimed to have seized large quantities of weapons and ammunition.

The rebel statement added that Sunday’s fighting in Jurut resulted in deaths and the capture of several Sudanese army officers. Other soldiers reportedly fled toward the city of Ed Damazin.

Several towns near the borders of Ethiopia and South Sudan have seen intense fighting over the past few hours. The Sudanese army and the RSF-SPLM-N alliance have traded control of Jurut, located 20 km south of Kurmuk, since last week.

Kurmuk has been a focal point of conflict for decades. Before the 2005 peace deal between Khartoum and the SPLM led by John Garang, the border town was a primary theater of war for 22 years.

Rebel forces first entered Kurmuk in 1987 before the army reclaimed it a year later. The town changed hands again in 1997 before eventually being retaken by government forces.