In comments posted on X, Sudanese commentator Taj Al-Sir Othman compared the liberation of Wad Madani to that of Aleppo in Syria: “If Aleppo was the beginning of the collapse of the Iranian dream in the Levant, then Wad Madani is the real beginning of the collapse of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s destructive dreams in Sudan.” His comments marked the liberation of Wad Madani, the capital of Al-Jazira state and Sudan’s second-largest city, by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) last Saturday. The victory is a glimmer of hope for Al-Jazira residents and Sudan after a year-long violent occupation of the city by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The liberation of Wad Madani also reflects a decisive shift in the trajectory of Sudan’s civil war. It indicates a change in the power balance within the country. This advancement returned the frontline to its position before the RSF invasion of Al-Jazira, nearer Khartoum. In conjunction with advances in the tri-city capital’s Omdurman and Bahri, Khartoum now sits squarely in the crosshairs of the SAF. Posts on social media are now predicting that the army could storm Khartoum at any moment.

The recapture of Wad Madani is a pivotal development. It lines strategically at the crossroads for key supply routes linking several states with Port Sudan and is close to the capital. It is the capital of Al-Jazira state, Sudan’s breadbasket, an agricultural hub situated between the two Nile rivers. More importantly, the recapture of Wad Madani is a much-needed morale boost for the SAF and their allied militias, which have vowed to continue........

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