Sudanese army retakes 2 strategic areas in Blue Nile state, downs drone
- Military says drone was detected entering Sudan from Ethiopia, without identifying its operator
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- Military says drone was detected entering Sudan from Ethiopia, without identifying its operator
By Adel Abdelrheem and Sahin Demir
ISTANBUL (AA) – The Sudanese army announced Thursday that it had regained control of two strategic areas in southeastern Blue Nile state and shot down a drone that it said had entered the country from Ethiopia.
The army’s 4th Infantry Division said in a statement that its forces had recaptured the Bakouri and Akleili areas following military operations that inflicted heavy losses in personnel and equipment on opposing forces.
The division said its troops were continuing operations to pursue rival forces, secure the two areas and consolidate control.
Akleili holds strategic importance because of its location along the road connecting Kurmuk to Damazin, the capital of Blue Nile state.
Control of the area allows forces to influence military movements along the Kurmuk, Geissan and Bakouri fronts.
Bakouri, located in Geissan locality about 70 kilometers (43 miles) southeast of Damazin, hosts a military base belonging to the army’s 13th Infantry Brigade under the 4th Infantry Division.
On Aug. 28, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), announced that they had seized Bakouri. It remains unclear when the allied forces took control of Akleili.
In a separate statement, Sudanese army spokesman Asim Awad said air defenses had shot down a “hostile strategic drone” near Bakouri on Thursday morning.
Awad said the military had tracked the aircraft since it crossed into Sudan from Ethiopia, without identifying the party operating it.
On Monday and Tuesday, the army announced that it had repelled attacks by the RSF and allied SPLM-N forces on the Al-Baraka and Sali areas in Blue Nile state.
The state has witnessed escalating clashes in recent weeks between the army and the allied forces.
Sudan has been engulfed in fighting between the army and the RSF since April 2023 over disagreements concerning the integration of the paramilitary group into the military. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced around 13 million others, according to UN and international estimates.
Şahin Demir