![RSF fighters. [Photo courtesy]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/2023-11-15_08-03-58_008193.jpg?ssl=1)
Fighters entered Sali on Tuesday morning after approaching from Kurmuk to the south and Sirkum to the west, according to local accounts. The operation followed several previous attempts by the coalition to capture the army position.
Footage showing armed RSF fighters outside Sali Health Centre was verified and gelocated by Sudans Post. The site is approximately 30 kilometres south of Dindiro and 100 kilometres south of Ed Damazin, the state capital.
The Sudan Founding Alliance (Ta’sis), the umbrella coalition that includes the RSF and SPLM-N forces commanded by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, announced the operation on Tuesday. It described the capture of the base as a major military victory and said its forces had inflicted heavy losses on government troops.
Ta’sis claimed that numerous soldiers were killed or taken prisoner and that the army abandoned weapons and military equipment during its retreat. The statement did not give casualty figures or specify what equipment had been captured.
The army had not released a response to the reported loss of the base by the time of publication.
The announcement followed an army statement on Monday in which the 4th Infantry Division said it had repelled attacks on Sali and Bakori. The division reported heavy losses among the attacking forces but did not disclose figures. The latest operation came after the military had repeatedly reported defending Sali against coalition assaults, including attacks in April and October.
Sali is located along a route connecting the southern border region with Dindiro and Ed Damazin. Its loss would weaken the army’s positions along this corridor and give the coalition a forward position for further operations towards the state capital.
The current campaign in southern Blue Nile began in March, when the RSF and SPLM-N launched an offensive that culminated in the capture of Kurmuk on March 23. The fighters seized the locality headquarters and the 16th Infantry Brigade compound after overrunning army positions around Jurut and Khor Arbudi.
The army subsequently mounted a counteroffensive, recovering Sirkum and Mugaja on June 29 and retaking Kurmuk on July 8. However, the coalition returned in August, taking Kurmuk again and capturing Geisan, a border town east of the area.
Sirkum, which lies about 11 kilometres west of Sali, has been a key position in the contest for control of the road towards Dindiro. RSF fighters captured its military garrison on June 20. Government troops later returned to the nearby village, although available footage did not establish that they had retaken the garrison.
Since its August offensive, the coalition has also reported taking positions around Dokan, Khor Hassan and Karn Karn, among other locations in Kurmuk locality.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Ta’sis said its forces intended to continue operations against remaining army positions. The alliance also said it would protect civilians in areas under its control and urged residents to avoid locations where fighting was taking place.
The coalition’s claims about casualties, prisoners and captured equipment have not been independently confirmed. The army has yet to clarify the circumstances surrounding the loss of Sali or the status of its forces in the surrounding area.
