Sudan army says its forces enter Wad Madani in push to retake city from RSF

The subject says it is moving to ‘clean up the remaining rebel pockets’ wrong the superior of Gezira state.

The Sudanese subject and allied equipped groups person entered Wad Madani and were pushing retired the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary from the strategical metropolis successful Gezira state, according to the army.

In a connection connected Saturday, the equipped forces “congratulated” the Sudanese radical connected “our forces entering the metropolis of Wad Madani this morning” aft much than a twelvemonth of RSF control.

“They are present moving to cleanable up the remaining rebel pockets wrong the city,” the connection said.

There was nary contiguous remark from the RSF.

The bureau of army-allied authorities spokesperson and Information and Culture Minister Khalid al-Aiser said the service had “liberated” the city.

The service posted a video appearing to amusement soldiers wrong the metropolis that has been held by the RSF since December 2023.

Sudan’s service and the RSF person been astatine warfare since April 2023, causing what the UN calls the world’s worst displacement situation and declarations of famine successful parts of the northeast African country.

Wad Madani is strategical due to the fact that it is simply a crossroads of cardinal proviso highways linking respective states, and is the nearest large municipality to the superior Khartoum.

Army ‘in astir parts of Wad Madani’

Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, said the service forces had been advancing towards the metropolis implicit caller days.

“They person been taking implicit villages successful the southbound and southeast of [Gezira] authorities until this morning, erstwhile they took implicit Hantoub Bridge – a decisive span that leads into the city,” she said.

“The service is present successful astir parts of Wad Madani,” she added.

“The service and allied fighters person dispersed retired astir america crossed the city’s streets,” 1 witnesser told the AFP quality bureau from his location successful cardinal Wad Madani, requesting anonymity for his safety.

Both the service and the RSF person been accused of committing warfare crimes including targeting civilians and indiscriminately shelling residential areas.

Sudanese citizens successful Port Sudan observe pursuing an announcement by the service that it entered the metropolis of Wad Madani [Ibrahim Mohammed Ishak/Reuters]

The paramilitary forces person been accused of summary killings, rampant looting, systematic intersexual unit and laying siege to full towns.

The United States connected Tuesday said the RSF had “committed genocide” and imposed sanctions connected its leader, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, besides known arsenic Hemedti.

The section absorption committee, 1 of hundreds of pro-democracy unpaid groups crossed the state coordinating frontline aid, hailed the Wad Madani beforehand arsenic an extremity to “the tyranny” of the RSF.

Witnesses successful army-controlled cities crossed Sudan reported dozens of radical taking to the streets to observe the news.

Twelve cardinal displaced

The recapture of Gezira authorities arsenic a full could people a turning constituent successful the warfare that began implicit disputes connected the integration of the 2 forces, which has created 1 of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

Since it began, the warfare has killed tens of thousands and uprooted much than 12 cardinal people, much than 3 cardinal of whom person fled crossed borders.

In the aboriginal months of the war, much than fractional a cardinal radical had sought structure successful Gezira, earlier a lightning RSF violative displaced upwards of 300,000 successful December 2023, according to the UN.

Most person been repeatedly displaced since, arsenic the feared paramilitaries moved further and further south.

The RSF inactive holds the remainder of the cardinal cultivation authorities of Gezira, arsenic good arsenic astir each of Sudan’s occidental Darfur portion and swaths of the country’s south.

The service controls the northbound and east, arsenic good arsenic parts of the superior Khartoum.

Source

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies