The Sudanese army announces the lifting of the siege on Al-Abyad and the recovery of Al-Qatana

The Sudanese army announced that it was able to lift the siege on the city of Al-Ubayyid, the capital of North Kordofan State, and retake the city of Al-Qatana, in the latest battles taking place between it and the Rapid Support Forces, from which it recently seized large areas in the center and south.

The army's military spokesman, Nabil Abdullah, said that the army forces in the Sayyad axis were able to open the road to Al-Abyad in Jabal Kordofan.

A source told Al Jazeera that the army regained control of the Kordofan mountain range through its mobile forces from the city of "Al Rahad" to the city of "Al Obeid", which has been besieged by the Rapid Support Forces for more than a year.

Al-Obeid is one of the largest cities in Sudan, and it is the headquarters of the Fifth Infantry Division of the army. It is located deep in the Kordofan region, and has an extension to the center and south of the country.

The army's entry into the city of El Obeid actually means lifting the siege on the city and its airport, which may play a major role in being used by the Sudanese Air Force as a launching point towards South Kordofan State and the Rapid Support Forces in the Darfur states.

#North_Kordofan | Shikan Locality

General report on the field situation - Al-Abyad city

After the success of the Sudanese Armed Forces in lifting the siege on the city of El Obeid, which includes the Fifth Infantry Division (Camel Army) and the El Obeid Air Base, attention is turning to the next steps to strengthen control over the city’s surroundings.
Expected to expand… pic.twitter.com/soDv82b19f

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A source in the Sudanese army also told Al Jazeera that the army had retaken the town of Al-Kurgol in South Kordofan State, west of the country, which had been under the control of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement led by Abdel Aziz Al-Hilu.

The source pointed out that the recovery of "Kurgol" will contribute to lifting what he called the siege on the city of "Kadogli", the capital of South Kordofan State, and linking it to the city of "Dilling". He also confirmed that the army is working to link the city of Al-Obeid, in North Kordofan, with the cities in the center of the country.

Restore the cotton

Today, the Sudanese army also regained control of the city of Al-Qatana, located north of the White Nile State (south), after battles with the Rapid Support Forces, which had controlled the city for more than 15 months.

A field commander in the army announced control over the city of Qatina. An informed source in the army confirmed that a force coming from the east entered the heart of the city this morning, while forces coming from the south are besieging pockets of the Rapid Support Forces.

Activists on social media posted videos of army forces inside the city of Qatina, announcing the liberation of the city from the Rapid Support Forces. The army was also able to pursue the Rapid Support Forces and cleanse Qatina.

The city of Qatina, located 100 kilometers south of Khartoum, is the only city that the Rapid Support Forces took control of, along with villages in northern White Nile State, in December 2023.

For days, and at an accelerating pace, the areas of control of the Rapid Support Forces have begun to decrease in favor of the army in the central states (Khartoum and Al-Jazeera) and the southern states (White Nile and North Kordofan) bordering the Darfur region to the west (5 states), and the Rapid Support Forces control 4 states there, while the war has not extended to the north and east of the country.

In Khartoum State, which consists of three cities, the army now controls 90% of the city of Bahri to the north, most parts of the city of Omdurman to the west, and 60% of the depth of the city of Khartoum, which is in the middle of the state and contains the presidential palace and the international airport, and which are almost besieged by army forces, while the Rapid Support Forces are still in the neighborhoods east and south of the city.

Since 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 15 million displaced and refugees, according to the United Nations and local authorities, while research by American universities estimated the number of dead at about 130,000.

Source: Al Jazeera + Anadolu Agency