Eyewitness accounts of paramilitary-held days after Sudanese army retakes strategic city

WAD MADANI, Sudan, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Days after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) recaptured Wad Madani, the capital city of Gezira State in central Sudan, the city's streets remain largely deserted, with only a few celebrations present.

On the roads leading to Wad Madani and the internal streets, remnants of destroyed buildings bear witness to the violent battles the strategic city has experienced.

Dozens of citizens gathered in front of the headquarters of the Gezira State government to celebrate the recapture of the city with some soldiers after it had been controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for more than a year.

"We have the right to celebrate the defeat of the militia and their exit from our city," Abdul-Qadir Hussein, a Sudanese citizen, told Xinhua.

"We have suffered for more than a year, and we have been exposed to all kinds of torture, violations, hunger, disease, and insecurity. Now it is all over," said he while soldiers were firing into the air.

Zahraa Mohamed, a resident of Wad Madani, spoke to Xinhua while struggling to hold back her tears, expressing her delight over the city's recapture by the army.

"We have suffered, endured hunger and pain, and witnessed various forms of humiliation. We lacked comfort inside our homes, but thank God, we have finally won," she said.

For her part, Afraa Al-Toum, another citizen, recounted what she and her family had come through while Wad Madani was under the RSF control.

"We are one of the families that had remained in the city since it was captured by the RSF in December 2023, and our house was raided," she recalled.

"My brother was brutally beaten, and when my mother intervened to protect him, she was also beaten," she added, noting that the RSF denied them access to clean drinking water or go to the markets.

On January 11, the SAF announced the entry of its forces into Wad Madani after it had been controlled by the RSF for more than a year.

The city holds strategic significance due to its proximity to the Sudanese capital Khartoum, and its connection to five Sudanese states.

Abdul-Jalil Ismail, a Sudanese military expert, said that the retaking of Wad Madani represents a shift in the course of the armed conflict between the SAF and the RSF.

Sudan has been gripped by a devastating conflict between the SAF and the RSF since mid-April 2023, which claimed at least 29,683 lives and displaced nearly 15 million people, according to international organizations.