The Sudanese army enters Wad Madani, the capital of Al-Jazeera State

The Sudanese army announced, on Saturday, its entry into the city of Wad Madani, the capital of Al-Jazeera State in central Sudan, about a year after losing it to the Rapid Support Forces.

Field commander Major Bassam Abu Satour said in a video clip posted on the army's official Facebook page: "We are now inside the city of Wad Madani, and the Rapid Support Forces have fled the city."

For its part, the Sudan Shield Forces, allied with the army, confirmed the withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces from Wad Madani, in a brief statement published on its official Facebook page.

Sudan Shield also broadcast a video clip documenting the celebrations of the army and its allied forces inside Wad Madani, where its commander, Abu Aqla Kikil, appeared participating in the celebrations.

In turn, the Sudanese Minister of Information, Khaled Al-Aiser, congratulated the army forces, the joint forces (armed movements that signed a peace agreement), the General Intelligence Service, and the volunteers on the "victories in Wad Madani."

He added in a post on his official Facebook page: "I salute, on behalf of the Sudanese government, all our patient, steadfast and victorious people in Wad Madani and Al-Jazeera State."

Citizens' joy at the entry of the armed forces and joint forces into Wad Madani, the capital of Al-Jazeera State, and its cleansing from the filth of the terrorist Al-Dagalo militia #Sudan pic.twitter.com/WsxEkrdkAV

- Sudan News (@Sudan_tweet) January 11, 2025

According to eyewitnesses who spoke to Anadolu Agency, the cities of Atbara in River Nile State (northeast), Port Sudan, the capital of the Red Sea State (northeast), and Singa, the capital of Sennar State (southeast), witnessed popular demonstrations today, celebrating the entry of Sudanese army forces into the city of Wad Madani.

In December 2023, forces affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces, led by Abu Aqla Kikil at the time, took control of several cities in Al-Jazeera State, including Wad Madani.

On October 20, 2024, new clashes erupted between the army and the Rapid Support Forces in Al-Jazeera State, following the defection of Kikil, who hails from the state, from the Rapid Support Forces and his announcement to join the Sudanese army.

Currently, the Rapid Support Forces control large parts of Al-Jazeera State, with the exception of Wad Madani, Al-Managil City, and the surrounding areas, extending south to the borders of Sennar State, and west to the borders of White Nile State.

Since mid-April 2023, the Sudanese army, led by the head of the Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemedti,” have been waging a war that has left more than 20,000 dead and more than 14 million displaced and refugees, according to estimates by the United Nations and local authorities, while research by American universities confirms that the total number of dead reaches about 130,000 people killed directly and indirectly.

There are growing international and UN calls to end the war in order to spare Sudan a humanitarian catastrophe that has begun to push millions to famine and death due to food shortages caused by the fighting that has spread to 13 of the 18 states.

Source: Anadolu Agency