“Borderline Powder Keg”: Sudan Accuses Ethiopia of Sponsoring a Multilateral Offensive on the Strategic Frontier
In a significant escalation of regional tensions, Sudanese authorities have formally accused Ethiopia of facilitating a renewed and coordinated offensive by allied rebel forces targeting the strategic border town of Kurmuk in Blue Nile state. According to detailed reports from the Sudan Tribune, a senior Sudanese government official alleged that Ethiopia has “sponsored” this assault by allowing fighters linked to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) to operate freely through its territory. The allegations specifically claim that combat vehicles moved from Assosa in Ethiopia toward critical border areas before launching the attack, signaling a profound shift in the “Logos” of the regional conflict.
Fighting has intensified around Kurmuk, with clashes reported across multiple fronts as the SPLM-N claimed its joint forces “crushed” Sudanese army units near Jurut, approximately 20 km south of the town. The rebel alliance asserts it has seized weapons and captured high-ranking officers, forcing other soldiers to retreat toward Ed Damazin.
This surge in violence near the borders of Ethiopia and South Sudan underscores the fragile security of the southeastern corridor, where control of strategic locations like Jurut has reportedly shifted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF-SPLM-N alliance since last week. Kurmuk itself remains a long-contested prize, having repeatedly changed hands during Sudan’s historical conflicts, which highlights its enduring strategic significance along the frontier.
The gravity of these accusations is reinforced by earlier reports from Reuters in February, which suggested that Ethiopia is hosting a training camp for RSF-linked fighters in the Benishangul-Gumuz region. These reports, supported by diplomatic sources and satellite imagery, indicated that the facility could be a central hub for recruitment efforts.
Sudanese officials have consistently echoed these allegations, citing an earlier February assault on Deim Mansour where RSF and SPLM-N fighters purportedly entered Blue Nile via Ethiopian territory. Since early December 2025, the drumbeat of accusations from Khartoum has grown louder, with Al Jazeera Arabic reporting that Sudan is preparing to open a new military front in eastern Sudan in response to Ethiopia’s alleged coordination with the RSF through regional intermediaries.
The logistical scale of this alleged cooperation is immense, involving the transportation of combat vehicles, artillery systems, and electronic jamming equipment through Assosa—a region that hosts the Grand Ethiopian Dam (GERD).
Despite the pressure, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) reported in mid-January 2026 that their troops successfully destroyed several RSF vehicles in the Blue Nile sector, claiming dozens of casualties among the paramilitary ranks. However, the conflict is not confined to the Ethiopian border; last week, reports surfaced that the RSF and SPLM-N launched a large-scale attack on Bau County from South Sudanese territory, prompting the SAF’s 4th Infantry Division to repel what officials termed “foreign aggression.” While the SAF claimed to have recaptured the Al-Sillik area near the Ethiopian border on January 27, 2026, the silence from Addis Ababa and the ongoing displacement of civilians suggest that the “roaring lights” of this border war are far from being extinguished.
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