Sudan army ends two-year siege of key city

24-02-2025

KHARTOUM — The Sudanese army says it has broken a near two-year siege imposed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the key southern state capital of el-Obeid.The breakthrough came hours after the RSF signed a political charter in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to establish a breakaway government in areas under its control.The RSF and the army have been in a vicious battle for power since April 2023, with tens of thousands of people killed and millions forced from their homes.The war has split the country, with the army controlling the north and the east while the RSF holds most of the Darfur region in the west and parts of the south.El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, is a strategic hub connecting the capital, Khartoum, to Darfur. This is the latest army advance in recent weeks following the recapture of several parts of Khartoum from the RSF.There was jubilation on the streets as Sudanese soldiers marched into the city.A military spokesman, Nabil Abdallah, confirmed the gains in a statement, saying army forces had destroyed RSF units.Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim said the move was a "massive step" in lifting the RSF siege on el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, and would also allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to Kordofan.Sudanese civil society activist Dallia Abdlemoniem told the BBC Newsday program that the recapture of the city " was "huge" and "significant".She said the RSF had "held the civilians captive for nearly two years" in the city.The situation there was "horrific", she said, adding that there had been no medical or food aid in an area considered "to be very risky in terms of famine and malnutrition". She said she hoped more aid would now be allowed in."Lifting the siege brings life back to the city," Ahmed Hussein, a 53-year-old trader in el-Obeid, told the AFP news agency.Ms Abdelmoniem said the army was "making serious groundwork in terms of moving towards the west, which is where the RSF is mainly centered".Both the army and the RSF have been accused of committing grave atrocities against civilians during the war, with their leaders being sanctioned by the US. In addition, RSF has been accused of carrying out a genocide in Darfur.Both deny the accusations.Kenya's hosting of the RSF last week as it sought to form a parallel government was criticized by some human rights groups.On Sunday, Sudan's Foreign Minister Ali Youssef said his country would "not accept" any country recognizing "a so-called parallel government".Earlier, Sudan's military government had warned it would take retaliatory measures against Kenya and has since recalled its ambassador from Nairobi.In response, Kenya's foreign ministry said there was "no ulterior motive" in "providing non-partisan platforms to conflict parties". — BBC

Hashtags

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

African Union says does ‘not recognize' Sudan parallel government

Al Arabiya

3 days ago

Al Arabiya

African Union says does ‘not recognize' Sudan parallel government

The African Union said on Wednesday it would not recognize a 'so-called parallel government' in Sudan, urging its members to follow suit. A bitter two-year civil war in Sudan has pitted the government against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which announced it was forming a government and appointed a prime minister on Saturday. The AU's Peace and Security Council 'called on all AU Member States and the international community to reject the fragmentation of Sudan and not recognize the so-called 'parallel government' which has serious consequences on the peace efforts and the existential future of the country,' it said in a statement. Sudan is split, with the army controlling the north, east and center, having recently retaken the capital Khartoum, while the RSF holds most of Darfur and parts of Kordofan, where recent attacks have killed hundreds according to local rights groups. The internationally-recognized army-aligned government, formed in May, is headed by former UN official Kamil Idris. On Saturday, the RSF announced its own 'government of peace and unity' with Mohamed Hassan al-Ta'ayshi as prime minister and a presidential council. United Nations officials warned the move could deepen Sudan's fragmentation and complicate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict that began in April 2023. The AU statement also 'unequivocally condemned all forms of external interference, which is fueling the Sudanese conflict.' The UN has repeatedly warned of outside forces fueling the war. The war began after a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Dagalo -- once allies who ousted Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Two years later, the pair led a coup that derailed Sudan's transition to civilian rule. The war has killed tens of thousands and created the world's largest hunger and displacement crises.

Sudan's paramilitaries launch parallel govt, deepening the crisis

Arab News

5 days ago

Arab News

Sudan's paramilitaries launch parallel govt, deepening the crisis

CAIRO: A paramilitary group and its allies in Sudan said they formed a parallel government in areas under the group's control, which are located mainly in the western region of Darfur where allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity are being investigated. The move was likely to deepen the crisis in Sudan, which plunged into chaos when tensions between the country's military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, exploded into fighting in April 2023 in the capital, Khartoum and elsewhere in the country. The RSF-led Tasis Alliance appointed Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the commander of the paramilitary group, as head of the sovereign council in the new administration. The 15-member council serves as head of the state. The RSF grew out of the notorious Janjaweed militias, mobilized two decades ago by then-President Omar Bashir against populations that identify as Central or East African in Darfur. The Janjaweed were accused of mass killings, rapes and other atrocities. In the current war, the RSF has been accused of numerous atrocities. The Biden administration slapped Dagalo with sanctions, saying the RSF and its proxies were committing genocide. The RSF has denied committing genocide. The alliance spokesman Alaa Al-Din Naqd announced the new administration in a video statement from the Darfur city of Nyala, which is controlled by the RSF and its allied Janjaweed. Mohammed Hassan Al-Taishi, a civilian politician who was a member of a military-civilian sovereign council that ruled Sudan following the 2019 overthrow of Al-Bashir, was named as prime minister in the RSF-controlled government. Rebel leader Abdelaziz Al-Hilu, who commands the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) which is active in the southern Kodrofan region, was appointed as Dagalo's deputy in the council. The SPLM-N is a breakaway faction of the SPLM, the ruling party of neighboring South Sudan. The announcement came five months after the RSF and its allies signed a charter in February in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, with the aim of establishing a parallel government in RSF-controlled areas. At the time, many countries, including the US, rejected the RSF efforts and condemned the signing by the paramilitary group and its allies of what they called 'transitional constitution' in the Kenya-hosted conference. The Foreign Ministry of the internationally recognized government in Khartoum condemned the announcement in a statement. It called it a 'fake government' and urged the international community to not engage with the RSF-led administration. The RSF-led move was likely to deepen the division in Sudan. Yasir Arman, a rebel leader, said the move is likely to prolong the conflict and divide Sudan between two rival administrations.

Sudanese Coalition Led by Paramilitary RSF Announces Parallel Government

Asharq Al-Awsat

6 days ago

Asharq Al-Awsat

Sudanese Coalition Led by Paramilitary RSF Announces Parallel Government

A Sudanese coalition led by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced on Saturday a parallel government, a move fiercely opposed by the army that could drive the country further towards partition as a two-year-old civil war rages. The government led by RSF General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, was announced west of the country. The RSF and its allies signed in March a transitional constitution outlining a federal, secular state divided into eight regions, Reuters said. The RSF controls much of the west of the country such as the vast Darfur region and some other areas but is being pushed back from central Sudan by the army, which has recently regained control over the capital Khartoum. The military led by career army officer General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had condemned the idea of the RSF creating a parallel government and promised to keep fighting until it controls all of Sudan, which has been plagued by conflicts, coups, poverty and hunger. In February, the RSF and other allied rebel leaders agreed in Kenya to form a government for a "New Sudan," aiming to challenge the army-led administration's legitimacy and secure advanced arms imports. Dagalo, a former militia leader and one of Sudan's wealthiest people, known as Hemedti, was hit with sanctions by the US, which accused him of genocide earlier this year. He had previously shared power with Burhan after veteran autocrat Omar al-Bashir's ouster in 2019. However, a 2021 coup by the two forces ousted civilian politicians, sparking a war over troop integration during a planned transition to democracy. Burhan was sanctioned in January by the US which accused him of choosing war over negotiations to bring an end to the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people. The ongoing conflict has devastated Sudan, creating an "unprecedented" humanitarian crisis in the country, with half the population facing spreading hunger and famine, according to the United Nations.