The Sudanese army announced, on Saturday, the entry of the city of Wad Madani, the capital of Al-Jazira State, which has been under the control of the Rapid Support Forces for more than a year.

The Sudanese army said in a statement that its forces entered the city of Wad Madani on Saturday morning “and are now working to clean out the rebel pockets inside the city.”

Al-Hurra's correspondent quoted military sources as saying that "the vanguard of Sudanese army units was able to enter the city of Wad Madani after violent clashes with the Rapid Support Forces."

Local news platforms carried video clips showing Sudanese army soldiers inside the city.

Al-Hurra's correspondent confirmed that citizens took to the streets in Port Sudan, Atbara, Kassala, and Gedaref to celebrate the Sudanese army's success in entering Wad Madani.

In another video clip, Sudanese army forces can be seen crossing the Hantoub Bridge, which is about 9 kilometers away from Wad Madani and has been under the control of the Rapid Support Forces since December 2023.

Restoring control of the entire Jazira state would mark a turning point in the war that broke out in April 2023 amid a dispute over the integration of the Rapid Support Forces into the army.

Jazira State is located in central Sudan, south of the capital, Khartoum, where the Rapid Support Forces launched attacks that claimed the lives of civilians, in addition to burning fields, looting hospitals and markets, and flooding irrigation canals to overflowing

The army has intensified its campaign to regain control of Al-Jazira State in the past few months after it extended its control over Sinnar State in the south, and increased the number of its air strikes, which often hit civilians.

The commander of the Rapid Support Forces in Jazira State announced his defection and joining the army to fight in October.

At the beginning of the conflict, more than half a million people fled to Al-Jazira State, before an attack by the Rapid Support Forces at the end of 2023 caused the displacement of more than 300,000 people, according to the United Nations.