Sudanese army claims capture of key eastern city from rebels

The army in Sudan says it has captured a key town in the country’s east, one of its biggest achievements so far in a nearly two-year war against rebel forces.

Images spread on social media showed people celebrating in the streets as army soldiers entered the town of Wad Madani.

The leader of the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF), General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, acknowledged the loss in an audio message.

His admission was angry and rambling, and he attributed the defeat to the army’s air superiority and the use of Iranian-made drones.

But he promised to continue fighting until victory, even if it took another 20 years.

Wad Madani is the capital of Al Jazira state and is 140 kilometers (87 mi) south of the country’s capital, Khartoum.

Violence broke out between the army and the RSF in April 2023, following days of tension when members of the RSF were redeployed across the country in a move the army considered a threat.

The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives. And in what the United Nations has called one of the “world’s largest displacement crises,” around nine million people have been forced to flee their homes.

The country is also falling into a famineand 24.6 million people – about half the population – urgently need food aid, experts said.

Earlier this month, the United States sanctioned RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo after accused the group of committing genocide.

Authorities said he was being punished for his role in “systematic” atrocities against the Sudanese people during the 20-month conflict.