Sudan army recaptures key Jebel Moya region from RSF

October 5, 2024 (SENNAR City) – The Sudanese army said on Saturday it had retaken the strategic Jebel Moya mountain range in Sennar state after days of heavy fighting with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The army’s recapture of Jebel Moya marks a significant victory in its efforts to regain control of territory lost to the RSF since the conflict erupted in mid-April 2023.

The Sovereign Council said in a statement that Lieutenant General Shams al-Din Kabashi, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, oversaw the operation from the White Nile State.

The army first claimed control of Jebel Moya on May 3, but the RSF swiftly denied the claim. It later emerged that while the RSF maintained a presence, the army controlled most of the area.

Videos circulated on social media showed soldiers celebrating and claiming to have retaken “Al-Blijab” and “Fanquqa al-Jabal” of the southern areas of the Jabal Moya after fierce clashes with the RSF.

The army’s advance from Sennar linked up with forces from the White Nile state, opening a crucial supply route from eastern Sudan to the south, the statement added.

Kabashi vowed to continue military operations “until the country is cleansed” of the RSF, which he called “the rebel militia.”

Retaking Jebel Moya cuts RSF supply lines to the cities of Sinjah, Al Dinder, Al Souki, and Karkoj, as well as villages in Sennar state, effectively besieging them.

The operation is part of a wider offensive launched by the army in Khartoum on Sept. 26, which has since expanded to Sennar, Al-Jazirah, and Darfur.