Paramilitary forces, who have been battling Sudan’s army for over a year, claim to have captured a key state capital in the southeast of the war-torn country.
“We have liberated the 17th Infantry Division from Singa, the capital of Sennar state,” the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced on X on Saturday.
Reporting from the capital Khartoum, Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan highlighted that the RSF is expanding its control over more territories in Sudan, especially in the eastern and western parts of the country’s south.
“They already dominate a large portion of the Darfur region, with el-Fasher being the only city still under the control of the army and allied groups,” she said.
Morgan stated that the Sudanese army does not contest the RSF’s claim of capturing the 17th Infantry Division.
“However, they assert that their forces remain in the city and are still fighting,” she said.
“We can confirm that civilians have witnessed clashes, and many began leaving the city yesterday [Saturday], with more people departing this [Sunday] morning.”
Sudan has been engulfed in war since April 2023, following the outbreak of fighting between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF, led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The ongoing strife has affected Sudan’s 48 million people, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, displacing millions, and triggering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The recent RSF advance indicates their proximity to Port Sudan on the Red Sea, which currently houses the army, government, and United Nations agencies.
RSF control extends over much of the capital Khartoum, Gezira state in central Sudan, the expansive western region of Darfur, and significant parts of Kordofan to the south.
With over one million displaced Sudanese, Sennar state serves as a critical link between central Sudan and the army-controlled southeast.
Social media posts showed thousands fleeing by vehicles and on foot, and witnesses told AFP that “thousands have sought refuge” on the east bank of the Blue Nile river, east of Singa.
The agency reported that RSF forces are also besieging and attempting to capture el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.
Additionally, a global hunger monitor stated on Thursday that nearly 26 million people in Sudan are facing high levels of “acute food insecurity”.