The spokesperson for the Sudanese army announced that its forces have established full control over the city of Al-Debibat in South Kordofan, western Sudan, after battles with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The joint forces allied with the army confirmed that they inflicted heavy losses on the RSF in Al-Debibat, both in personnel and equipment.
In a statement, they indicated that the recapture of Al-Debibat represents an important step in securing the Kordofan region (which includes three states) and advancing toward the Darfur region (which includes five states) .
Sudanese army personnel shared video clips on social media announcing their entry into Al-Debibat and the defeat of the RSF.
Al-Debibat, located 186 kilometers from Kadugli, the state capital, is a strategic city as it connects South Kordofan with North Kordofan and East Darfur. Controlling Al-Debibat also paves the way to lifting the siege on Dilling, which is 60 kilometers away and is the second-largest city in South Kordofan.
Meanwhile, Abu Aqla Kikil, the commander of the Sudan Shield Forces fighting alongside the Sudanese army, gave the RSF 48 hours to leave the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.
Kikil added, in an address to a group of his fighters, that the Sudan Shield Forces and all formations of the Sudanese army would head to El Fasher to break the siege on the city.
Direct Confrontation
On the other hand, Abdel Rahim Dagalo, deputy commander of the RSF, said his forces managed to neutralize Sudanese army warplanes, including drones. Addressing RSF soldiers, Dagalo stated: “The war is now close-quarters in every detail,” stressing that the RSF is ready to carry out its military tasks with all types of weapons.
These developments come days after Sudanese authorities announced full control over Khartoum and White Nile states, declaring them free of RSF presence, with no comment from the RSF.
In recent weeks, RSF-controlled areas in Sudan have been shrinking in favor of the army, whose victories have extended to Khartoum and White Nile state.
In the remaining 16 states, the RSF now only controls parts of North Kordofan and West Kordofan, and pockets in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, as well as four out of the five states in the Darfur region.
Since mid-April 2023, the army and the RSF have been engaged in a war that has left more than 20,000 dead and about 15 million displaced and refugees, according to the United Nations and local authorities, while research by American universities estimated the death toll at around 130,000.
