The escalation in Blue Nile State was not surprising. Movements in South Sudan had been observed for some time, coinciding with a noticeable increase in the number of South Sudanese mercenaries who joined the ranks of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). It wasn’t long before documented media reports emerged confirming the establishment of a large camp inside Ethiopian territory for training and supporting the RSF. Furthermore, the French newspaper Le Monde published an investigative report on its website on March 18th and 19th detailing 36 flights over a four-month period, from the end of last year to the beginning of this year, transporting weapons to these camps.

Despite the Sudanese government's awareness of these camps, it has taken no serious action against Ethiopia, issuing only statements for domestic consumption! At the beginning of last month, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying, “Throughout February and the beginning of March, the Sudanese government has been monitoring the entry of drones from within Ethiopian territory,” considering this a blatant violation of Sudanese sovereignty and an outright act of aggression against the Sudanese state.

However, Sudan did not summon the Ethiopian ambassador to protest this action, nor did it take any action to stop these camps, or at least to strike them. On March 24, the strategic city of Kurmuk fell to the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North. The Sudanese army accused Ethiopia of supporting the RSF, including launching drones from its territory into Sudan. The Blue Nile State government also confirmed in an official statement that the forces that carried out the attack launched from within Ethiopian territory, noting that military vehicles arrived via Arus Airport. The governor of Blue Nile State described the events as an invasion, referring to Ethiopia. Despite all these statements and direct accusations against Ethiopia, the Sudanese government has taken no serious action against Ethiopia, which suggests complicity in further complicating the situation. The aim is to portray the RSF as invincible, impervious to defeat, thus necessitating negotiations, recognition of their existence, and allowing them to carve up Darfur, even paving the way for the Blue Nile region to become the next stage in the fragmentation of Sudan.

The fall of Kurmuk is no small matter. It is a strategic area due to its border location and its vital role as a link between land routes extending towards Ethiopia and South Sudan, granting control over it the ability to control military supply lines. Furthermore, the mountainous terrain of the region makes it an ideal vantage point for observation and surveillance, which directly impacts the balance of power in Blue Nile State and the surrounding areas. The worst aspect of this war is that it is the ordinary, defenseless person who pays the price—materially, morally, and physically—who has no stake in it whatsoever, except that their land and livelihood have become a battleground. They bear the brunt of this war, suffering displacement and homelessness after losing everything they own. Every time war breaks out, whether in Darfur, Khartoum in central Sudan, Kordofan, Gezira, or elsewhere, the human cost is exorbitant. This is the price people are paying today after the fall of Kurmuk and other areas in Blue Nile State, where thousands of elderly people, women, and children have been displaced in search of safety. This comes amidst escalating battles in the Blue Nile region, where Governor Ahmed al-Umda Badi announced the arrival of Sudanese army reinforcements in preparation for retaking Kurmuk. Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration reported that thousands of people fled the city between February 14 and March 24 due to the deteriorating security situation and escalating clashes. The Sudanese Doctors Network called on international and humanitarian organizations, particularly the United Nations, to intervene immediately to provide urgent support and humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, and shelter, and to ensure that relief reaches those affected. The network warned of the deteriorating health and humanitarian situation among the displaced, especially given the lack of healthcare services, the spread of diseases, and malnutrition.

Thus, we see that America’s policy of exerting pressure on the periphery in Sudan is bearing fruit. It succeeded in pulling the South apart until it was severed from Sudan, and now this pressure is being applied in Darfur, after enabling its agent, Hemedti, to seize control of almost all of Darfur, except for small pockets that do not significantly affect the military or political landscape. Furthermore, it has turned a blind eye, perhaps even at its behest, to the formation of a parallel government in Darfur.

The war in Blue Nile is not like it was in Darfur, or even in nearby areas of West or North Kordofan. It is now spreading to other areas, as happened in South Kordofan, and drone warfare is being waged in many cities, such as Kosti, Rabak, and El Obeid, with ordinary people paying the price. Now the stage is set in Blue Nile State, all to prolong the war and instill despair in the people, making them believe that this war will not end with the army’s victory over these rebel movements. Consequently, they are expected to accept America's dictates, even if the price is the secession of Darfur and its separation from Sudan, as happened in South Sudan, where the conspiracy proceeded without any action from the Sudanese people to stop it! Now, if serious action is not taken to prevent America and its agents from implementing the conspiracy to fragment Sudan by separating Darfur, a day will come when we will regret our negligence of our country’s unity and our allowing America, through its agents, to fulfill its desire to dismantle what remains of Sudan. Therefore, it was imperative to restrain those tampering with Sudan’s unity and to work diligently to establish an ideological state that works to unify Sudan and cuts off the hands of those who tamper with its resources. Since the majority of the people of Sudan are Muslims, the principle is that we should establish our state on the basis of the great Islam, which makes people equal regardless of their races or religions, and makes them equal in rights and obligations, based on what the truthful Shariah says, under the state of Islam, the Second Khilafah Rashidah (Rightly Guided Caliphate) on the Method of the Prophethood.

* Official Spokesman of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Sudan