STORY: Eyewitness accounts of paramilitary-held days after Sudanese army retakes strategic city
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 14, 2025
DATELINE: Jan. 15, 2025
LENGTH: 00:02:27
LOCATION: Khartoum
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Sudanese citizens and soldiers of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Wad Madani, the capital city of Gezira State in central Sudan
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): ABDUL-QADIR HUSSEIN, Sudanese citizen
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): ZAHRAA MOHAMED, Resident of Wad Madani
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): AFRAA AL-TOUM, Sudanese citizen

STORYLINE:

Days after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) recaptured Wad Madani, the capital city of Gezira State in central Sudan, the city's streets remain largely deserted.

On the roads leading to Wad Madani and the internal streets, remnants of destroyed buildings bear witness to the violent battles the strategic city has experienced.

Dozens of citizens gathered at Gezira State government headquarters to celebrate the recapture of the city, which had been controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for more than a year.

"We have the right to celebrate the defeat of the militia and their exit from our city," Abdul-Qadir Hussein, a Sudanese citizen, told Xinhua.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): ABDUL-QADIR HUSSEIN, Sudanese citizen
"We, the people of this city, have faced terrible suffering. We have suffered from thirst, hunger, crime, insecurity and a lack of safety."

Struggling to hold back tears, Wad Madani resident Zahraa Mohamed told Xinhua of her delight over the city's recapture by the army.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): ZAHRAA MOHAMED, Resident of Wad Madani
"We have suffered and endured hunger and pain. We have witnessed various forms of humiliation. We have not slept. We lacked comfort inside our homes. But, thank God, we have finally won."

Afraa Al-Toum, another resident, recounted what she and her family had gone through under RSF control.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): AFRAA AL-TOUM, Sudanese citizen
"We are one of the families that had remained in the city since it was captured by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Since they entered, they had raided our house, demanding gold and money, and asked whether we belonged to the army. My brother was brutally beaten. And when my mother intervened to protect him, she was also beaten. They prevented us from leaving the house. We endured hunger and thirst, and we used to bring water from the river."

On January 11, the SAF announced the entry of its forces into Wad Madani after it had been controlled by the RSF for more than a year.

The city holds strategic significance due to its proximity to the Sudanese capital Khartoum, and its connection to five Sudanese states.

Abdul-Jalil Ismail, a Sudanese military expert, said that the retaking of Wad Madani represents a shift in the course of the armed conflict between the SAF and the RSF.

Sudan has been gripped by a devastating conflict between the SAF and the RSF since mid-April 2023, which claimed at least 29,683 lives and displaced nearly 15 million people, according to international organizations. 

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Khartoum.
(XHTV)