Sudanese army claims breakthrough victory in Khartoum
The Sudanese army has broken a siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of its command centre in Khartoum, reports Reuters on January 26th, in what could be a turning point in the two-year conflict.
The RSF described the statement has mere propaganda intending to boost morale among the Sudanese army’s troops, and claims the videos shared by the Sudanese Army are fabricated.
Reuters could not independently verify either side’s claim.
The civil war, that started in April 2023 – with rival forces vying for power after cooperating to oust former ruler Omar al-Bashir – has killed thousands of people, driven millions from their home and plunged half the population in hunger.
In a military statement, the army said troops from the different parts of Khartoum have finally merged, two years after the siege began.
The RSF were also “expelled” from the Jaili oil refinery north of Khartoum, the army added, the country’s largest, that was under control of the RSF since the start of the war.
Denying the claims that the Sudanese army had reached a breakthrough victory, the RSF commented that it had inflicted substantial military losses on the former and that the army’s comments were disingenuous.
The claim, if true, would be the army’s biggest victory since it reclaimed the capital’s twin city Omdurman.
Access to its headquarters would reportedly give the armed force a military advantage; “it allows the entry of forces and equipment into Khartoum and gives the armed forces the advantage of an open supply line,” an anonymous military source told AFP.
This comes just after the Sudanese army regained key city Wad Madani, where it claimed it found evidence of UAE’s military support for the RSF.
RSF commander Mohammad Hamdan Daglo has been sanctioned by the US for his role in “gross violation of human rights” in RSF-controlled Darfur.
Reuters, AFP
