The Sudanese army has reasserted control in the capital, Khartoum.
But fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are advancing in the west, capturing cities and strategic locations.

Port Sudan

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have made significant advances in Sudan, including the capture of the country's most strategic oil field in South Kurdofan and several key cities in western Sudan. These gains come after a period in which the RSF lost control of major areas, including Khartoum, but managed to regroup and launch new offensives.

The Sudanese army and its allied factions have faced morale challenges as they lost territory, with commanders returning from political posts to the battlefield. After more than two years of conflict, peace initiatives have failed, and civilians continue to suffer, with fears mounting over the possible permanent division of Sudan.

RSF capture key cities and strategic locations

That's the Rapid Support Force's second-in-command, Abd al-Rahim Dagalu, on Wednesday, marking the takeover of Sudan's most strategic oil field in south Kurdofan state. It's his group's latest territorial gain, and a scene no one could have predicted a few months ago. But Sudan's conflict has seen surprising shifts in just a year. This was how the map of control looked in early January. The RSF controlled most of Darfur, parts of Kurdofan, the capital Khartoum, the second most important state of Wad Madani, as well as parts of Sanar in the southeast. But in the same month, they were expelled from most of those areas, including Khartoum, a highly symbolic loss. For a while, the momentum seemed to be on the side of the Sudanese army. The picture seemed rosy, and preparations were underway here in Port Sudan to move the seat of government back to Khartoum. But despite setbacks, the RSF remained strong. It still controlled most of Darfur, and it was laying siege to four state capitals or key cities across western Sudan, al-Fasher, Baba Nusa, Kadugli, and Dalenj. In October and after a year and a half of siege, the RSF took al-Fasher, Darfur's last major city, and began a major push into neighboring Kurdofan. A few weeks later, they stormed Baba Nusa in western Kurdofan. Then Hejlij fell without much resistance. And fears grew that they might do the same in Kadugli and Dalenj before marching to Al-Ubaid and then on to Khartoum. The Sudanese army's allied factions include groups that hail from Darfur. Losing their lands to the RSF was a major shock to morale. Their commanders, after years in the comfort of high-ranking political positions in Port Sudan, had to don uniforms, return to the field, and revive the fighting spirit among their troops. But after two years and a half of bloodshed, the prospects are grimmer than ever. The gains on every side tend to be fleeting. All peace initiatives have so far stumbled. The war has turned into a Sisyphean exercise with no end in sight. And it's mostly civilians who are paying the biggest price. The fear here is a permanent fragmentation of Sudan, with the western regions under the RSF becoming a real or a de facto breakaway state. We believe only a miracle can prevent such a probability. Mohamed Val, Al Jazeera, Port Sudan.

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Breakdown