Sudanese army secures strategic Jebel Aulia dam

March 28, 2025 (JEBEL AULIA) – Sudanese army forces have secured control of the strategic Jebel Aulia dam south of Khartoum and are awaiting orders to pursue retreating Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters, army field commanders said on Friday.

The Jebel Aulia dam bridge was the last crossing in Khartoum state held by the RSF.

Sudan Tribune correspondents observed a massive two-kilometre traffic jam of vehicles, trucks, and apparently looted goods blocking the eastern approach to the dam bridge. Bodies identified by the army as RSF fighters were scattered along the road.

“The dam bridge is the last bridge in Khartoum State from which the RSF have been expelled,” an army commander in Jebel Aulia told Sudan Tribune. He added the army was awaiting “instructions” to pursue what he termed the “fleeing RSF militia” westward across the bridge.

The army established control over the Jebel Aulia area, about 45 km (28 miles) south of the capital, on Wednesday, reclaiming a significant RSF stronghold held for over a year, Sudan Tribune reported.

Fierce fighting continues on the dam’s western bank, south of Omdurman’s Salha suburb, between the withdrawing RSF elements and army units advancing from Omdurman, according to army field commanders.

Brigadier General Ayman Ahmed Othman told Sudan Tribune that Khartoum, White Nile, and Gezira states were now clear of “RSF militia” following the capture of Jebel Aulia.

He highlighted the area’s strategic importance as a key junction connecting the three states and providing access to the Kordofan and Darfur regions further west.

The brigadier general noted that army troops were still clearing “hidden pockets” of enemy fighters in the Jebel Aulia area, describing them as individuals in hiding with limited combat ability.

The army has begun processing and evacuating hundreds of civilian and military prisoners formerly held by the RSF in Jebel Aulia. They are being moved to Al-Qutaynah hospital in White Nile state, about 45 km south of the dam.

An army commander stated that the RSF had detained approximately 4,700 civilians and military personnel in Jebel Aulia. He said they were held in extremely poor conditions with inadequate food and healthcare, leading to dozens of deaths in detention.