The Sudanese army announced on Saturday that it had seized control of a major market in Omdurman, Khartoum’s twin city, which had been a key launch point for attacks by its rivals, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), during the ongoing two-year conflict.
The statement follows the army’s recent declaration of victory over the RSF in Khartoum, claiming control of much of the capital.
The war between the army and the RSF has sparked widespread ethnic violence, triggered what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and caused famine in several regions.
The army said in a statement that its forces now control the market in western Omdurman, Souq Libya, after seizing weapons and equipment left behind by the RSF when they fled.
Souq Libya is one of the largest and most important commercial hubs in Sudan.
The army already controls most of Omdurman, home to two major military bases, and appears intent on securing control over the entire capital area, which includes the cities of Khartoum, Omdurman, and Bahri, divided by branches of the River Nile.
The RSF has not commented on the army's advance in Omdurman, where the paramilitary forces still control some territory.
The war erupted amid a power struggle between the army and RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule. It has devastated much of Khartoum, displaced more than 12 million Sudanese, and left about half of the 50 million population suffering from acute hunger.
Overall deaths are difficult to estimate, but a study published last year suggested the toll may have reached 61,000 in Khartoum state alone in the first 14 months of the conflict.
The war has added to regional instability, with Sudan’s neighbors – Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan – each grappling with internal conflicts in recent years.
