BLUE NILE STATE — The Sudanese army said it had seized the town of Khor Hassan in Blue Nile state from the Rapid Support Forces, according to a statement. The army said it had inflicted heavy losses on the RSF in both personnel and military equipment.

The RSF had been holding Khor Hassan with the support of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, having seized the town with that group's backing in March. The capture of Khor Hassan is part of the army's strategy to recapture Kurmuk, a town near the Ethiopian border. The RSF has been using Kurmuk as a garrison town to launch operations to seize more territory.

Kurmuk serves as a corridor for cross-border trade and provides access to key infrastructure, including the Al-Roseires Dam. Blue Nile state borders Ethiopia and serves as a gateway to central Sudan due to its geography, giving whoever controls it a greater chance of advancing into the country's central regions. The state also has large deposits of natural resources, including gold.

The war in Sudan began in April 2023 following a power struggle between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who heads the national army, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, who commands the RSF. Since the war began, more than 150,000 people have been killed and more than 12 million people have been displaced.

The Sudanese government accuses Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates of backing the RSF. Both countries deny the allegations.