The paramilitary

Rapid Support Forces The Rapid Support Forces (RSF; ) is a paramilitary force formerly operated by the government of Sudan. The RSF grew out of, and is primarily composed of, the Janjaweed militias which previously fought on behalf of the Sudanese government. RSF ...

(RSF) has waged a major offensive against the

Sudanese Armed Forces The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF; ) are the military forces of the Republic of the Sudan. The force strength has been estimated at personnel in 2011 (by IISS), 200,000 personnel before the current war in Sudan broke out in 2023 (by the CIA), and ...

(SAF) in

Sennar State Sennar ( ') is one of the 18 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of and had a population of approximately 1,918,692 in 2018. History ;2023–present Sudanese civil war Ever since the paramilitary group RSF took control of most of the s ...

, resulting in widespread violence and displacement, as part of the ongoing

Sudanese civil war The term Sudanese Civil War refers to at least three separate conflicts in Sudan in Northeast Africa: *First Sudanese Civil War (1955–1972) *Second Sudanese Civil War (1983–2005) *Sudanese civil war (2023–present) It could also refer to other ...

. On 5 March, SAF launched a counteroffensive on the rest of RSF controled territory in Sennar, and on the same day recaptured remaining RSF controlled areas located in the state, including Mazmoum and Al-Dali, leading to RSF withdrawal across the South Sudan border.

Background

On 15 April 2023, tension between the RSF and SAF escalated into a war. The

is led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly referred to as

Hemedti Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (born 1974 or 1975), commonly known by the mononym Hemedti, is a Sudanese military officer and the current head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A Janjaweed leader from the Rizeigat tribe in Darfur, he was th ...

, and the

is led by

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Abdelrahman al-Burhan (; born 11 July 1960) is a Sudanese army general who has been the ''de facto'' List of heads of state of Sudan, leader of Sudan since 2019. Following the Sudanese revolution, Sudanese Revolution in Ap ...

. RSF was able to gain areas across the country. After the RSF's capture of Wad Madani, it was able to make its way to

. A full offensive on the state was launched on 30 June 2024.

Offensive

The Sennar Offensive began with the RSF attacking the village of Jebal Moya in Sennar province. The conflict soon spread to the provincial capital of Singa, where intense fighting erupted. RSF fighters in pickup trucks mounted with automatic rifles rampaged through Singa, looting houses and shops, and taking over the city's main hospital. The RSF claimed to have seized the military's main facility, the 17th Infantry Division Headquarters, in Singa. After the RSF captured the state capital Sinjah, it expanded eastward and captured Dinder. The SAF recaptured the Dinder on 4 July 2024 and claimed that the RSF retreated to Sinja. The statement also claimed to have inflicted heavy losses, destroying 7 vehicles, seizing 9 others, killing 170 soldiers, and captured an unknown SAF commander. A video was also shown of RSF fighters on the Dinder Bridge. On 5 July 2024, the SAF recaptured the city of El-Suki as well, a city 25 miles east of

Sennar Sennar ( ') is a city on the Blue Nile in Sudan and possibly the capital of the state of Sennar. For several centuries it was the capital of the Funj Kingdom of Sennar and until at least 2011, Sennar was the capital of Sennar State. Histo ...

. On 20 July 2024, Lieutant General Abdel Rahman Albishi, a RSF commander leading military operations in Sennar and Blue Nile, was killed in an airstrike in Singa; 400 fighters fighting under his command were also killed. Albishi was originally from Bout,

Blue Nile State Blue Nile State ( ') is one of the eighteen states of the Republic of the Sudan. It was established by presidential decree nº 3 in 1992 and it is named after the Blue Nile River. The region is host to around forty different ethnic groups. Its e ...

, and from the Rufa'a tribe. By 5 October 2024, the SAF recaptured Jebel Moya. The SAF renewed an offensive in Dinder on 19 October 2024. The army reportedly captured and destroyed an unknown number of vehicles and also established checkpoints in surrounding villages. By 23 October 2024, the SAF recaptured Dinder after a few days of battling for the town. On 20 October 2024, The SAF announced the defection of Abu Aqla Kakil, the RSF's commander in Gezira State. By 23 October, The Sudanese army seizes Al-Dinder from Rapid Support Forces. Since then, The Sudanese army kept pushing towards Singa the capital of Sennar State. Liberating villages from the brutal RSF control and torture warfare used all against International Law. On 7 November 2024, the SAF arrested dozens of suspected RSF collaborators and recruits in villages west of Dinder. In 22 November, The SAF were in the doorsteps of Singa. Heavy fighting can be heard in the outskirts of the city with multiple wounded being reported. On 23 November, The SAF stormed the city and took main control of the main market, hospitals, and the 17th infantry division headquarters. Heavy celebrations flooded the streets of Singa with many refugees who were prior displaced by the RSF are returning to their homes. By February 2025, the state has not been a sight of much conflict due to the main places of battle in Gezira,

Khartoum State Khartoum State () is one of the eighteen states of Sudan. Although it is the smallest state by area (22,142 km2), it is the most populous state in Sudan—5,274,321 in the 2008 census, and officially estimated at 7,993,900 in 2018. It contai ...

North Kordofan North Kordofan () is one of the 18 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of 185,302 km2 and an estimated population of 3,174,029 people (2018 est). El-Obeid is the capital of the state. North Kordofan is generally arid and desert. ...

, and

Darfur Darfur ( ; ) is a region of western Sudan. ''Dār'' is an Arabic word meaning "home f – the region was named Dardaju () while ruled by the Daju, who migrated from Meroë , and it was renamed Dartunjur () when the Tunjur ruled the area. ...

. However an RSF unit with 100 fighters surrendered to the army on 15 February. On 5 March, SAF launched a counteroffensive on the rest of RSF controled territory in Sennar, and on the same day recaptured remaining RSF controlled areas located in the state, including Mazmoum and Al-Dali, leading to RSF withdrawal across the South Sudan border.

Impact

The violence forced about 57,000 people to flee their homes. Those fleeing Singa arrived in Gedaref,

Blue Nile The Blue Nile is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It travels for approximately through Ethiopia and Sudan. Along with the White Nile, it is one of the two major Tributary, tributaries of the Nile and supplies about 85.6% of the wa ...

White Nile The White Nile ( ') is a river in Africa, the minor of the two main tributaries of the Nile, the larger being the Blue Nile. The name "White" comes from the clay sediment carried in the water that changes the water to a pale color. In the stri ...

, and

Kassala Kassala (, ) is the capital of the state of Kassala (state), Kassala in eastern Sudan. In 2003 its population was recorded to be 530,950. Built on the banks of the Mareb River, Gash River, it is a market city and is famous for its fruit gardens. ...

states. Aid groups in Gedaref, which is already hosting more than 600,000 people, started planning for the arrival of those fleeing Sennar. The Sennar Offensive has had severe humanitarian consequences, with potential future disruption of large-scale agricultural programs in the nearby provinces of Blue Nile, White Nile, and Jazira.

References

{{Sudanese civil war (2023–present) Battles of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present) Battles involving Sudan Battles in 2025 Battles in 2024