Khartoum, February 04 (Darfur24)
The Chairman of the Sovereignty Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, announced on Tuesday the opening of the road leading to the city of Kadugli in South Kordofan State and the lifting of the siege that had been imposed on the city.
Following the lifting of the siege, the road connecting Kadugli to Dilling, via Hebeila, Abu Kershola, and Al-Rahad in North Kordofan State, is expected to reopen to the movement of civilians, commercial goods, and humanitarian aid.
In a brief statement broadcast from Sudanese national television studios in Omdurman, Burhan said army forces had succeeded in reaching Kadugli. “We congratulate the Sudanese people on opening the road to Kadugli, and we congratulate our people in Kadugli on the arrival of the armed forces,” he said.
Burhan stressed that military operations are continuing, adding that the armed forces will reach any area within Sudan.
Separately, the official army spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday that the armed forces, with support from allied units, succeeded in opening the Kadugli–Dilling road after what he described as fierce clashes with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
According to the statement, the clashes led to the retreat of RSF forces from areas they had controlled along the road, with losses in personnel and equipment. The spokesperson stated that the operation ended the siege imposed on the region and described the reopening of the road as a key step toward securing civilian movement and supplies amid the difficult humanitarian conditions in South Kordofan.
Meanwhile, informed sources told Darfur24 that the army broke the siege of Kadugli on Monday evening following hours-long battles in the areas of Al-Mafraq (the Intersection) and Hilla Barno Al-Kuweik, north of the city. The sources said the fighting resulted in the army breaching advanced positions held by the RSF and its ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N), allowing forces to enter the city.
The sources added that the retreat of the besieging forces ended years of isolation that had contributed to a sharp deterioration in living conditions, including severe shortages of food, medicines, and basic services.
On January 26, the Sudanese army announced it had lifted the siege on the city of Dilling after its forces reached it from Habila, which had been under the control of the RSF and SPLM-N.