A major strategic shift.. What is the significance of the Sudanese army’s control over the city of “Wad Madani”?

Writer and political researcher Diaa El-Din Bilal said that the Sudanese army's control over the city of Wad Madani represents a major strategic shift in the ongoing conflict with the Rapid Support Forces.

He explained, during his interview with Al Jazeera, that the importance of Wad Madani goes beyond its geographical location, as it connects five Sudanese states, and is the first and second largest economic city in terms of population density, in addition to its historical symbolism, which is linked to Sudan’s independence through the Graduates Conference.

Earlier today, Saturday, the Sudanese army announced its complete control over the city of Wad Madani, as the commander of the special operations in the Sennar axis, Fath Al-Alim Al-Shoubli, reported that the armed forces are conducting extensive combing operations after the Rapid Support Forces fled towards the north of Wad Madani.

Diaa El-Din Bilal added that the fall of Wad Madani in the hands of the Rapid Support Forces represented a broad moral victory for the militia, which gave it the opportunity to achieve moral gains amidst the criticism directed at the army and its leadership at the time.

Therefore, regaining control today is a great victory that reflects a change in the balance of power, and expresses a state of national joy that is sweeping Sudan, including demonstrations at home and abroad.

Celebrations of the Sudanese people, women and men inside and outside Sudan, for the victories of the armed forces and the forces supporting them, chanting "One Army, One People" in joy at the defeat of the rebel Al-Dagalo militia that practiced killing, rape and looting and turned homes into military bases - Sudan - January 11, 2025 AD # Video montage

The… pic.twitter.com/6ROLeCzxX7

— Sudanese Armed Forces (@SudaneseAF) January 11, 2025

Bilal pointed out that this military achievement is not a spur-of-the-moment achievement, but rather the result of ongoing efforts for more than 6 months, as the Rapid Support Militia began to retreat since its defeat in Jebel Moya last October.

He believes that the support militia relied heavily on mercenaries from outside Sudan, but it has recently suffered a series of successive collapses that have made it unable to launch attacks or maintain the areas it controlled.

Factors

Bilal attributes the factors of the Rapid Support Militia's long steadfastness to the great regional support and collusion of some neighboring countries, which provided it with corridors and military equipment, according to him.

But he stresses that the Sudanese army, thanks to its more than 100 years of experience and strategic tactics, was able to dismantle the main forces of the militia, which led to its rapid decline.

Regarding regional support, Bilal explained that there is a change in international positions, as a diplomatic blockade was imposed on the militia, and the United States imposed sanctions on its leader, Hemeti, and accused it of committing genocide in Geneina.

Regarding the accusations against the Sudanese army of committing violations, Bilal stressed that there is a difference between incidental violations resulting from military miscalculation and systematic violations aimed at ethnic cleansing or genocide, noting that the militia is practicing a systematic policy of crimes, according to international reports.

Regarding the next steps, Bilal stressed that the recapture of Wad Madani does not mean the end of the war completely, but it represents a major turning point that opens the door to ending the militia nightmare. He stressed that the national state that unites the Sudanese around the army is a fundamental force in this conflict, considering it an unprecedented state in the history of Sudanese politics.

Since mid-April 2023, the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces have been waging a war that has left more than 20,000 dead and about 14 million displaced and refugees, according to the United Nations and local authorities, while research conducted by American universities estimated the number of dead at about 130,000.

Source: Al Jazeera