Jubilation After Sudanese Army Retakes Strategic City Near Khartoum

13 January 2025

allAfrica.com

Widespread celebrations were reported on Sunday in Wad Madani, a regional capital on the Blue Nile River about 85 miles/135 kilometers southeast of the capital Khartoum, following the retaking of the city by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The army has been making steady advances in the area in recent weeks.

"Wad Madani holds immense strategic importance, positioned at the crossroads of key supply routes between several states and serving as the nearest major city to Khartoum" reports Radio Dabanga, an independent news agency broadcasting via satellite, shortwave radio and the internet. "The capital remains a focal point of the conflict, with fierce fighting continuing since the war erupted in April 2023."

Mohamed 'Hemedti' Dagalo, commander of paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which international organizations have accused of genocide across Sudan's Darfur region, acknowledged the setback but vowed to step up the fighting to recapture lost ground. RSF has controlled the city since December 2023.

Sudanese organizations, as well as international diplomats, emphasize that both rival forces are motivated by a lust for power and are vying for Sudan's resources, including gold. Both have participated in blocking essential food and medical aid and to the dire conditions that make Sudan the world's largest humanitarian disaster.

The Al Jazirah Monitor, a Sudanese human rights group, reported that the army freed a large number of prisoners in appalling condition after they were denied access to food and medical treatment during their detention. The SAF made further advances towards Khartoum on Sunday, according to reporting by Sudan Tribune.

Wad Madani is "vitally important", Mohanad Elbalal, Sudanese analyst and co-founder of Khartoum Kitchen said in a series of posts on the social media platform X, explaining "why the exuberant celebrations you are seeing across Sudan are justified" - despite the reality that the Sudanese army has also perpetrated widespread human rights abuses, according to multiple observers.

The Wad Madani city locality is ordinarily home to 700,000 people. Its liberation is a huge deal for its people, of course, but its strategic importance means today's liberation is significant for the entirety of the 50 million people who live in Sudan. Wad Madani isn't just the capital of Gezira State, it's the HQ for administering the Gezira Scheme which is the backbone of Sudan's agricultural sector.

RSF control of Gezira State led to the first comprehensive failure of the farming scheme since it was established a century ago. The liberation of Wad Madani and the prospect of getting the scheme back operating will have a significant impact for a Country facing the real prospect of wide scale famine.

Wad Madani is also the base of the Army's 1st infantry division. The division is responsible for securing Al Gezira, which is the 2nd most populous state in Sudan with 6 million+ residents also happens to be one of the smallest Army divisions and least battle prepared.

The reason for this Is due to the fact that Al Gezira has no international borders and as the heart of the historically stable Central Sudan region it was never prioritised. This led to the calamity almost a year ago where the RSF were able to capture the base as well as the city and with it the majority of Gezira State in a very short period of time. The re-enforced army that has retaken Wad Madani will now be in a strong position to rapidly retake ground across Al Gezira.

A final and very important reason is logistics, both military and civilian. The Sudanese highway network passes through Wad Madani. For the Army to be able to project power in Western Sudan and compete with the UAE arms supply route via Darfur, it needed first to reestablish a supply route into Kordufan (Western Sudan) which the RSF until recently had been able to choke off at Wad Madani.

The 5th Army division based in North Kordufan is widely considered to be the most capable division in the Sudanese Army but up until recently has only been able to exert control over its base city of El Obeid because there was no effective way of supplying it. If the Army supply lines reach El Obeid, then the 5th infantry division will be able to project control over the wider surrounding area. The reconnection of the National highway at Wad Madani will also help reduce transport costs and help facilitate trade.

To sum up the majority of the 6 million residents of Al Gezira are likely to be liberated as a result of the Army entering Wad Madani.  The restarting of the Gezira will help mitigate the acute hunger crisis currently being experienced in Sudan.

And lastly control of the logistic choke point of Wad Madani will allow the Army to project its force into Western Sudan where the RSF militia currently has the logistical upper hand.

According to reporting from Wad Mahani following the SAF takeover, a warehouse was found in the city with a large cache of ammunition and missiles from the United Arab Emirates, which is widely regarded as the chief RSF backer. Last week, the U.S. government announced sanctions against UAE companies accused of procuring arms for RAF and also sanctioned the RSF leader,

HOW TO HELP

Khartoum Kitchen, a non-profit initiative helping to feed families in need. Donations though Go Fund Me,  have enabled the group to "massively scale up our work on the ground", according to a January 10th update from Mustafa Ibrahim. "We now have 17 kitchens" - 12 directly run by the organisation and five by partners.

AllAfrica's reporting on peacebuilding in Africa is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.