Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces says its fighters have captured the West Kordofan city of Babanusa, overrunning the city's army garrison after repelling a dawn attack.
The capture of the city, the last army stronghold in West Kordofan, deals the Sudanese Armed Forces a blow a little more than a month after it lost the strategic city of El Fasher in neighbouring Darfur.
“Our response was a crushing victory as our forces were able to fully repel and foil the attack before they carried out a delicate military operation that led to the liberation of the 22nd Division and the city of Babanusa,” said a statement by the paramilitary on Monday.
“The operation inflicted on the attacking forces heavy casualties and destroyed heavy military hardware.”
Footage posted online showed RSF fighters celebrating, firing in the air and chanting “Allahu akbar, we are inside the 22nd Division”, the name of the army unit that had been controlling the city since shortly after Sudan's civil war broke out in 2023.
One video showed RSF fighters celebrating under a gate arch on which the name of the division is written. The authenticity of the videos could not be immediately verified.
The RSF earlier said it had repelled an attack by the army in Babanusa, despite a unilateral truce declared last week by the paramilitary's commander, Gen Mohamed Dagalo.
“Our forces had no option but to exercise their legitimate right to self-defence and to repel the aggression,” said the RSF. “We reiterate our firm commitment to the humanitarian truce.”
There was no immediate comment from the SAF on the fate of Babanusa, a former major railway centre that linked western Sudan with the east and north of the country.
There also was no word on the fate of the garrison's personnel. The RSF statement made no mention of taking prisoners.
The city had been sparsely populated for close to two years, with the RSF in control of most of its districts, which led many to believe its fall into the hands of the paramilitary was only a question of time.
The loss of the city 700km south-west of the capital Khartoum comes less than five weeks after the army lost El Fasher, a major city in North Darfur. It was the last army stronghold in West Kordofan.
The RSF now controls all of Darfur, an area about the size of France, and parts of Kordofan. The SAF is in possession of the capital, as well as the eastern, central and northern regions of the vast Afro-Arab nation of 50 million people, more than half of whom are facing hunger as a result of the civil war.
The war has also killed tens of thousands and caused the world's largest displacement crisis, with more than 13 million people forced to leave their homes. The war is rooted in a rivalry for domination between Gen Dagalo and army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, Sudan's de facto ruler.
The US, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, a group known as the Quad, have tabled peace proposals in the hope of ending the war. They envisage an initial three-month humanitarian truce followed by a longer one and a political process to determine the country's future.
US President Donald Trump said he would throw his weight behind peace efforts after being asked to do so by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. However, Mr Trump's envoy, Massad Boulos, said on a visit to the UAE last week that neither side had yet accepted the specific text presented by the US.
Gen Al Burhan initially rejected the US truce proposal as the “worst” he had seen, before moderating his position by welcoming Mr Trump's involvement and directing Sudan's “relevant authorities” to draft a response. With the SAF rejecting the proposed ceasefire, the RSF has resumed fighting, despite initially announcing it would adhere to it.
Al Shafie Ahmed reported from Kampala, Uganda.
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Three ways to limit your social media use
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Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
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Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
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The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
