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.

Eyewitness accounts reported army forces spreading throughout Wad Madani. Sudanese army troops had reportedly stormed the city’s eastern entrance

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

The Sudanese armed forces said on Saturday its troops had entered Wad Medani, the capital of Al Gezira state south of Khartoum, more than a year after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces captured the key city.