Sudan Accuses Ethiopia of Backing RSF Assault on Kurmuk

Sudan’s latest accusations against Ethiopia over the assault on Kurmuk signal a deepening regionalization of the conflict, with cross-border logistics, alleged foreign supply chains and shifting frontlines converging in the Blue Nile corridor.

A Sudanese official told Sudan Tribune that the offensive was “sponsored” by Ethiopia, alleging that combat vehicles moved from Assosa to Khor al-Dahab to launch attacks.

The accusations follow similar claims made since early December 2025, including a February allegation that RSF and SPLM-N forces entered Blue Nile via Ethiopian territory during fighting in Deim Mansour.

Fighting is concentrated around Kurmuk and Jurut, located 20 km south, where control has shifted repeatedly over the past week. The SPLM-N said its forces seized weapons and ammunition, while government positions remain contested.

Days earlier, a video circulating on social media appeared to show an RSF fighter inside Al-Kurmuk following a coordinated assault from eastern and southern axes, including an approach originating inside Ethiopian territory. The footage has not been independently verified.

Parallel reporting points to expanding logistics corridors. The UAE has reorganized RSF supply routes through Ethiopia and the Central African Republic using cargo flights and regional land corridors.

Earlier disclosures highlighted UAE-linked Antonov AN-124 flights connecting Abu Dhabi, Israel, Bahrain and Ethiopia as part of a broader supply network.

A February Reuters investigation further alleged that Ethiopia hosts a training facility for “thousands” of RSF fighters, citing officials and satellite imagery.

Sudanese officials have also accused Ethiopian authorities of enabling infrastructure, including training sites and airstrips, near the Blue Nile border, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

The alleged movements through Assosa in Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz region place the conflict near the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a strategically sensitive area bordering Sudan’s Blue Nile state. Sudanese sources cited the transfer of artillery systems and electronic jamming equipment through this corridor.

Kurmuk has been contested for decades, serving as a frontline during a 22-year conflict prior to the 2005 peace agreement. Rebel forces first entered the town in 1987, lost it in 1988, regained it in 1997 and were later pushed out again.

The current fighting reflects this pattern of repeated control shifts, now amplified by multi-actor involvement and cross-border dimensions.

Clashes have expanded to towns along both the Ethiopia and South Sudan borders, with multiple armed actors operating across overlapping fronts. Ethiopia has not publicly responded to the latest allegations.