KHARTOUM, Sudan
The Sudanese army said Wednesday it regained control of the town of Al-Hajj Abdullah in southern Al Jazirah State in central Sudan, following fierce fighting with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“The armed forces, along with other regular forces and popular resistance volunteers, have advanced steadily in the Al-Hajj Abdullah sector. They destroyed combat vehicles, seized seven others, and killed dozens of RSF fighters,” it said in a statement.
A video released by the army showed soldiers inside the town, located 58 kilometers (36 miles) south of Wad Madani, the capital of Al Jazirah State.
The RSF had held the town since December 2023.
The Sudan Shield Forces, led by Abu Aqla Kikal, also announced Wednesday advances in areas east of Al Jazirah State.
The group said its forces, “in collaboration with the army and armed movements that signed the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement, are encircling RSF units in the town of Umm Al-Qura, eastern Al Jazirah.”
There has been no comment from the RSF on the developments.
Clashes between the RSF and the army reignited in Al Jazirah on Oct. 20, 2023, after RSF commander Kikal — originally from the state — defected and declared his allegiance to the army.
In December 2023, the RSF, under Kikal’s leadership, seized control of several towns in Al Jazirah, including Wad Madani. Kikal later defected to the army.
The RSF holds vast areas of Al Jazirah State, except for El-Manaqil and surrounding regions, extending south to Sennar State’s border and westward to the White Nile State’s boundary.
The conflict between the army and the RSF, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has resulted in more than 20,000 deaths and displaced 14 million people, according to the UN and local authorities.
Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.
