KHARTOUM, Sudan
Te Sudanese army’s allied Joint Forces group on Friday announced the recapture of the strategic city of Al-Dabiabat in South Kordofan state after battles with its paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
In a statement, the Joint Forces group – consisting of signatories to the Juba Peace Agreement in 2020 fighting alongside the Sudanese army – declared “the liberation of the strategic city of Al-Dabiabat in the Kordofan region from the hands of the RSF militias.”
Located 186 kilometers (116 miles) from the state capital Kadugli, Al-Dabiabat serves as a vital link between the states of South Kordofan, North Kordofan and East Darfur. The capture also paves the way to break the siege on Deling city, South Kordofan’s second-largest urban center.
The statement noted that the seizure of Al-Dabaibat came as a result of “the precise, coordinated military operations conducted jointly with the Sudanese army, inflicting heavy enemy losses in personnel and equipment.”
Sudanese army soldiers posted footage on their social media accounts showing troops entering Al-Dabiabat and declaring the RSF’s defeat.
The RSF is yet to comment on the advances from the army and its allied armed groups.
Since April 2023, the RSF has been battling the army for control of Sudan, resulting in thousands of deaths and creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
More than 20,000 people have been killed and 15 million displaced, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US scholars, however, puts the death toll at around 130,000.
