Sudan RSF attacks Geissan near Ethiopia, officials say

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces attacked the border town of Geissan and nearby farms on Tuesday morning, local authorities said, opening a new clash near Ethiopia.

Authorities in Geissan said the RSF and allied fighters from a faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu carried out the attack.

An army source told AFP the attack was launched “from inside Ethiopian territory” and said Sudanese forces were confronting the attackers. The source claimed the army had inflicted heavy losses on the RSF side.

The RSF's self-declared government in Darfur said its forces had “liberated the strategic city of Geissan” and inflicted heavy losses on army troops. AFP said it could not independently verify either side's claim. There was no immediate comment from Ethiopian authorities.

Blue Nile state has become a key front in Sudan's war in recent months, with the RSF launching land offensives and increasing drone strikes to challenge army control in the southeast. United Nations figures say fighting has displaced around 60,000 people across the state this year.

Last month, the army recaptured the strategic border town of Kurmuk as part of a push to secure the 153-kilometre highway linking the border region to El-Damazin, where it retains control. The RSF and SPLM-N-Hilu control southern Blue Nile, which borders Ethiopia and South Sudan.

Sudan's army-aligned government has accused Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates of facilitating drone attacks launched from inside Ethiopia. The UAE denies arming the RSF, and Ethiopia has rejected allegations that it hosts RSF or Emirati forces.