Sudan’s army said on Saturday it had entered the central city of Wad Madani and was pushing out its paramilitary rivals the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a step which if completed successfully would be its biggest gain in near two years of war.

Sudanese officials says the military and its allies had taken back the strategic city of Wad Medani more than a year after the Rapid Support Forces seized it.

The Sudanese military and allied armed groups "liberated Al-Jazira state capital Wad Madani" on Saturday, the office of army-allied government spokesman and Information Minister Khalid al-Aiser said in a statement.

The RSF, however, still controls large parts of Al Jazirah state, except for Wad Madani city, Al-Manaqil, and its surrounding regions, extending south to Sennar State’s border and westward to the White Nile State’s boundary.

The development marks one of the most significant gains for the army in its almost two-year long war with rebel forces.

Celebrations erupted in military-controlled areas, stoking hopes the victory might be a turning point in Sudan’s ruinous civil war.

Sudan’s military and its allies have taken back a strategic city from the rebel Rapid Support Forces, officials said Saturday, dealing a major blow to the notorious paramilitary group the United States accused of committing genocide in the country’s ongoing civil war.