Explosions rocked the city of Damazin, the capital of the Blue Nile region in southeastern Sudan, on the night of Sunday and Monday, in a drone attack attributed to the Rapid Support Forces, as its forces and their allies advanced towards a city hosting tens of thousands of displaced people, and warnings of the danger of famine in other areas of the country.
Witnesses told Agence France-Presse that they woke up to the sounds of explosions, while the Sudanese army's defenses responded to the attack. The regional government confirmed that it had dealt with "the enemy's attempts to target Damazin with drones" and that the situation was "under control."
These developments come as the war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces continues since April 2023, which has claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people, according to estimates by two relief workers, and has caused two crises of displacement and hunger, the largest in the world.
In a report published on Sunday, September 13, the Sudan Tribune website quoted residents as saying they heard at least 11 explosions in Damazin that evening. Residents said that projectiles fell near a military hospital and the city's airport, while a drone hit a gas station, and army anti-aircraft missiles responded to the attack.
The strikes came after the army had previously announced the downing of an advanced drone belonging to the Rapid Support Forces in the region, according to the website. According to Agence France-Presse on Monday, two witnesses said that they woke up to the sounds of explosions, while a third reported that he saw a fire break out after a drone fell near the airport, causing a large explosion.
Damazin remained relatively safe during the war. But this year, the Rapid Support Forces and their allies launched a massive attack along the Ethiopian border and north towards the city. Since January, the coalition of the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, led by Abdel Aziz Al-Hilu, has been launching attacks on areas in the Blue Nile, including Kurmuk and Qaysan.
According to Agence France-Presse, the last known locations of these forces are less than 100 kilometers south of Damazin. The coalition controls the south of the region, bordering Ethiopia and South Sudan, while the army is holed up in Damazin with the 4th Infantry Division. The attack on the city may put the army under simultaneous pressure to defend its positions in the Blue Nile and Kordofan.
Sudan has repeatedly accused Ethiopia of supporting the Rapid Support Forces, accusations that Addis Ababa denies. Agence France-Presse quotes local sources that the border, which is easy to cross, represents a major supply line for the Rapid Support Forces and its allies.
Al-Damazin hosts the largest number of displaced people within the Blue Nile region, according to data from the International Organization for Migration. The organization said that 99,277 people were displaced from different areas in the region during the period from January to August 23, 2026. They reside in seven localities, and the displaced families face difficulties in obtaining drinking water and humanitarian aid.
In parallel with the displacement crisis, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network warned of a “credible risk” of famine occurring in seven areas of North Darfur state, in addition to Dilling and Kadjili in South Kordofan, by January 2027. The network attributed this risk to conflict, displacement, a decline in agricultural production, and the possibility of a renewed siege.
On the diplomatic level, the UN Security Council extended, on Friday, September 11, the arms embargo imposed on Darfur for an additional month, as disagreement continues over an American effort to expand it to include all of Sudan. During the session, the US Deputy Representative to the United Nations, Jeffrey Bartos, described the current ban as “outdated.”
These developments were preceded by the announcement by the artificial intelligence company Anthropic, in a report published on Thursday, September 10, that it had uncovered and disrupted an influence campaign that it linked with a “high degree of trust” to officials in the UAE government, and that used its assistant, “Claude,” to produce content that served a party in the conflict.
