Over the past month, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s Army has made gains in several regions of Sudan, including Khartoum, Jabal Moya, and Sennar State. However, it has now lost two strategic locations to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group led by General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, known as Hemedti. As in previous instances when faced with significant threats, the Army retreated without engaging in combat.
The RSF announced on December 09 the capture of the Sudanese army’s Fourth Infantry Regiment base in Jouda, located in White Nile State. Reports indicate that the Army abandoned the site without resistance, leaving behind substantial quantities of weapons and ammunition.
This victory brings the RSF closer to the town of Jabalayn, just 40 kilometers from Jouda. Jabalayn, near the border with South Sudan, faces the South Sudanese town of Renk, home to the largest crossing point between the two countries. Fearing an RSF advance and potential violence, many residents of Jabalayn have begun fleeing the area.
In Blue Nile State, the RSF have also taken control of Bout, another key town, following another unopposed retreat by the Sudanese army. This development places Ad-Damazin, the regional capital, at risk of falling into RSF hands.
Since the conflict erupted in April 2023, the Sudanese army has heavily depended on allied Islamist and tribal militias, as well as joint forces formed from former Darfur rebel groups. According to experts, these reinforcements have been crucial in sustaining the army’s resistance amid the prolonged and intensifying conflict.