Previous clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support between Omdurman and Khartoum Bahri (Reuters)

Military sources in the Sudanese army told Al Jazeera - yesterday, Friday - that army forces coming from northern Omdurman met with Corps of Engineers forces that were under siege by the Rapid Support Forces south of Omdurman.

The sources added that this meeting provides broader opportunities for the Sudanese army to tighten its control over large parts of the city of Omdurman, they said.

Sudanese Army Chief of Staff Muhammad Othman Al-Hussein considered that this step represents an achievement of the first phase of what he called the plan to purge Omdurman of the Rapid Support Forces.

There has been no comment yet from the Rapid Support Forces on the Sudanese army’s statement, or any statements in this regard.

Earlier yesterday, the Sudanese army published, through its official Facebook account, a video clip showing the progress of its forces from the Corps of Engineers in the areas north of the city of Omdurman.

He stated that enemy vehicles were destroyed and dozens of Rapid Support Forces were killed.

The Sudanese army said last week that the Rapid Support Forces had received painful strikes and defeats in Omdurman, following the announcement by the Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, that the army was advancing on all fronts, and was working hard to achieve victory and defeat the Rapid Support Forces soon.

The movements and statements of the Sudanese army come after negotiations sponsored by Saudi Arabia and the United States in the city of Jeddah during the recent period, between the army and the Rapid Support, were unable to achieve a breakthrough that would lead to stopping the war that left more than 13 thousand dead and more than 7 million displaced and refugees since it broke out in mid-April. April 2023, according to the United Nations.

Also, African efforts led by the Intergovernmental Authority for East African Development (IGAD) did not succeed in bringing together Al-Burhan and the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), in preparation for a ceasefire and the delivery of aid.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies