The Sudanese army said it took control of a major city in the east of the country, one of its biggest gains yet in a nearly two-year-long war against rebel forces.
Footage circulated on social media showed people celebrating in the streets as army soldiers entered the city of Wad Madani.
The commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, acknowledged the loss in an audio message.
His confession was angry and confusing, and he attributed the defeat to the army’s air superiority and the use of Iranian-made drones.
But he vowed to keep fighting until victory, even if it takes another 20 years.
Wad Medani is the capital of Gezira State, located 87 miles (140 km) south of the country's capital, Khartoum.
Violence between the army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 after days of tension as RSF personnel redeployed across the country in a move the army viewed as a threat.
The war claimed tens of thousands of lives. In what the United Nations described as one of the “largest displacement crises” in the world, about nine million people were forced to flee their homes.
The country as well Sliding into starvationExperts said that 24.6 million people, about half the population, are in urgent need of food aid.
At the beginning of this month, the United States imposed sanctions on the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, after which The group was accused of committing genocide.
Officials said he was punished for his role in “systematic” atrocities against the Sudanese people during the 20-month conflict.
