KHARTOUM — Sudan’s military says it has lifted the siege of a key town in the country’s south that militias had blocked access to for almost two years.
The military said in a statement on Monday that it had successfully opened a road leading to the town of Diring in South Kordofan province, after inflicting “heavy losses” on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The military vowed to “continue to cleanse the RSF paramilitary group until security and stability are restored across the country.”
“Our forces inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, both in personnel and equipment,” the statement said.
Witnesses said Sudanese forces managed to enter the besieged city after clashes with the RSF and its ally the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N).
Witnesses said a large crowd of residents greeted the military as it entered the area.
Sudanese soldiers shared a video clip on social media showing military and civilian celebrations in the city of Diring.
There was no immediate comment from the RSF, which has been at war with the military for nearly three years for control of Sudan.
Diring is located between the besieged capital of Kadugri and El Obeid, the capital of neighboring North Kordofan province, which the RSF is trying to siege.
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The humanitarian situation in Diring is likely to improve as the military will be able to bring in medicine, food and other commercial goods that were blocked during the RSF siege.
After being forced out of Khartoum in March, RSF has focused on the cities of Kordofan and El Fasher. The city of El Fasher was the last military stronghold in the vast Darfur region until the RSF took control in October.
Reports of mass murder, rape, abductions and looting have surfaced following the takeover of El Fasher’s militia, and the International Criminal Court has launched a formal investigation into “war crimes” by both sides.
Dilling is reportedly experiencing severe hunger, but the world authority on food security, the Integrated Food Security Tiering, did not declare famine in the region in its November report, citing a lack of data.
A UN-backed assessment last year already confirmed starvation in Kadugli, which has been under RSF siege for more than a year and a half.
More than 65,000 people have been evacuated from the Kordofan region since October, according to the latest United Nations figures. — Agency
