The Sudanese army has claimed to have captured a key eastern city from rebels

Sudan’s army says it has captured a key city in the country’s east, one of its biggest gains yet in its nearly two-year war against rebel forces.

Images on social media showed people celebrating in the streets as army soldiers entered the town of Wad Madani.

The head of the Rapid Support Force (RSF) paramilitary group, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, acknowledged the loss in an audio message.

His admission was angry and sloppy, blaming the defeat on the military’s air superiority and the use of Iranian-made drones.

But he vowed to continue fighting until victory, even if it took another 20 years.

Wad Madani is the capital of Al Jazira state, and is 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 members were redistributed across the country in a move the army saw as a threat.

The war has caused tens of thousands of deaths. And in what the United Nations has called one of the world’s “biggest displacement crises”, around nine million people have had to leave their homes.

The country too sliding into famineWith 24.6 million people – about half of the population – they are in urgent need of food aid, experts said.

Earlier this month, the US sanctioned RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo after that He accused the group of committing genocide.

Officials said they were being punished for “systematic” atrocities against the Sudanese people during the 20-month conflict.