Sudanese Army Recaptures Key City 'Using Iranian Drones' from Militias

About a week after the latest round of fighting began in Sudan, the army announced that it had completely taken control of a sensitive city in the center of the country from the hands of militias. The Sudanese army made this announcement on Monday, January 24; a development that is considered the army's biggest achievement in nearly two years of conflict with rebel militias. Images shared on social media show the people of 'Wad Madani', the capital of the 'Jazirah' state, celebrating and dancing. General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemeti, the leader of the militia known as the 'Rapid Support Forces', also confirmed the fall of this city in a voice message. In this message, General Dagalo attributed the defeat of his forces to the army's use of Iranian-made drones and Ethiopian fighters, promising that he would retake the city. Meanwhile, Reuters has learned that dozens of planes from the United Arab Emirates are heading to Chad. It appears that the UAE's goal is to strengthen and equip the 'Rapid Support Forces' stationed in Chad. Abu Dhabi denies this claim, but a group of United Nations experts has assessed Reuters' report as credible and consistent with reality. Meanwhile, the United Nations Refugee Agency reports that as a result of ongoing fighting, thousands of residents of the city of 'Um Rawaba' in the Kordofan state, approximately three hundred kilometers southwest of 'Wad Madani', have been forced to leave their homes and flee. This international body stated that between one thousand to three thousand families have fled this southern city in less than five days. The United Nations had reported that the number of displaced people in North Kordofan state was over 205,000 before the latest round of fighting began, which now seems to have increased with the escalation of violence. In recent years, approximately eleven and a half million people across Sudan have been displaced, with nearly three million of them being homeless due to previous conflicts and civil wars. Therefore, the United Nations has described the situation in this country as 'the largest displacement crisis in the world'. Years of war and internal conflict have also led to the deaths of tens of thousands and have brought the country to the brink of famine. A month ago, the Food Security Center announced that five regions in western and southern Sudan have fallen into famine, warning of the danger of this situation spreading to five other areas. This international body emphasized that over 24.5 million Sudanese, nearly half of the country's population, have difficulty accessing food, warning that only a comprehensive ceasefire can prevent further famine in the country. The internal war in Sudan, which began about two years ago, has pitted the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against loyalists of Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the former deputy of General Burhan. The 'Rapid Support Forces' led by General Dagalo control most of western Sudan and are engaged in a battle with the army for control of 'El Fasher', the last stronghold of government forces in the Darfur region. Fighting between the two sides is also intensifying over the 'White Nile' state in the south of the country.