Sinja has been liberated, according to Sudan's regular army, which has been fighting against RSF (Rapid Support Forces) for 19 months in the devastating civil war between the two parties.
The city, located in the state of Sennar in southeastern Sudan, is described as strategically important, as it is situated on a vital road that connects areas in eastern and central Sudan controlled by the military.
Sinja was captured by RSF in a lightning-fast offensive in June, which, according to UN figures, led to around 726,000 civilians fleeing. According to human rights organizations, residents who did not leave the city have been subjected to arbitrary violence from RSF fighters.
Large parts of western Sudan are controlled by the paramilitary group, as well as extensive areas in the southern parts of the country and parts of the capital Khartoum.
Both sides in the war have been accused of war crimes, including indiscriminate shelling of residential areas, markets, and hospitals. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and up to twelve million people have been forced to flee.
The fighting in Sudan broke out in April 2023 and is between arch-rivals General Abd al-Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (often called "Hemedti"), who is the leader of the militia Rapid Support Forces, RSF.
RSF was formed in 2013 from the janjawid militias, the armed groups that Sudan's former dictator Omar al-Bashir had sent out to spread terror and quell the uprising in conflict-ridden Darfur in western Sudan in the early 2000s.
Both parties have repeatedly been accused of war crimes.
Sources: AFP and AP
