The Daily Populous Sunday January 12nd, 2025 day edition
Authored by sudantribune.com and submitted by CostasGuatemala

January 11, 2025 (WAD MADANI) – The Sudanese army and its allied forces regained control of the city of Wad Madani, the capital of Al Jazirah state, today, Saturday, after the forces advanced from the east side of the Hantoub Bridge, military sources and eyewitnesses said.

The RSF, which seized the strategically important city in mid-December 2023, had been accused by residents and rights groups of committing widespread abuses in Al Jazirah, including killings, rape, forced displacement, and looting.

Video footage circulated online, which Reuters could not immediately verify, appeared to show Sudanese soldiers and allied fighters in several locations within Wad Madani, including the First Division headquarters, Nile Street, and the Heart Hospital, all situated east of the city near the Hantoub Bridge.

Military sources said a significant force, including elements of the Sudan Shield, a recently formed militia, crossed the Hantoub Bridge to enter the city. Hundreds of residents were seen fleeing across the bridge to meet the incoming forces, the sources added.

The advance on Wad Madani followed the army’s recapture of several towns in eastern Al Jazirah earlier on Saturday. According to witnesses, the news sparked celebrations in several Sudanese cities, including Port Sudan, Suakin, Kassala, Gedaref, Umm Al-Qura, and Atbara.

In a statement accompanying a video purportedly showing soldiers outside the Heart Hospital, the Sudanese army said its forces, along with other regular units, were making “steady progress” on the Wad Madani axis and inflicting “heavy losses” on the RSF.

In a separate statement, the Sudan Shield Forces claimed their fighters, alongside the army, joint forces of armed movements, and the General Intelligence Service’s Operations Authority, had entered Wad Madani. They also reported encircling the RSF stronghold in Um Al-Qura locality and retaking the areas of Wad Al-Abyad, Al-Awdiya, Wad Al-Muhaidi, and Hantoub.

The RSF, which had held control over much of Al Jazirah state for over a year, did not immediately comment on the army’s and its allies’ reported advance. The apparent loss of Wad Madani could represent a significant setback for the paramilitary force.