Sudan's heartland city limps back to life after army recapture

By AFP - Feb 22,2025 - Last updated at Feb 22,2025

A truck drives past a Sudanese army tank at the entrance of Wad Madani in Sudan's al-Jazira state on Thursady after the regular army forces reclaimed the area from its rival Rapid Support Forces last month (AFP photo)

WAD MADANI, SUDAN — In a bustling market in central Sudan, vegetable seller Ahmed al-Obeid dusts off his wooden stall, carefully arranging fresh cucumbers and tomatoes in neat piles as customers cautiously return.

Just weeks ago, this market in the central Sudanese city of Wad Madani lay mostly deserted. Traders had shuttered their shops, gripped by fear of the paramilitaries who controlled the city.

Now, voices ring out again, bargaining over fresh produce as the city tentatively stirs back to life after the army reclaimed it from its rival Rapid Support Forces [RSF] last month.

"We are feeling safe again," said Obeid.

"People are buying and selling like old times," he told AFP, adjusting a pile of onions.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a war between the forces of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the RSF.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this month called it "an unprecedented humanitarian crisis" in Africa, and the United States has sanctioned both Burhan and Daglo for abuses.

Wad Madani, the capital of pre-war breadbasket Al-Jazira state, became a battleground when RSF forces descended on the city in December 2023, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee the city and Al-Jazira.

But today, signs of recovery in the city are palpable, if restrained.

Buildings bear the scars of war. Blackened walls and piles of rubble are constant reminders of the destruction the city has endured.

Storefronts, restaurants and other businesses remain gutted by fire.

At a maternity ward in the city's main hospital, expectant mothers wait with their families while nurses in white scrubs hurry through the corridors, attending to patients.

"Medicine is available. Life is finally back to normal. Things have completely changed, thank God," Rehab Moussa, a patient receiving care, told AFP.

Yet, obstetrics and gynaecology specialist Khalid Mohammed said that although the hospital is slowly recovering, there are still serious shortages in staff, medicine and equipment.

"Our surgical supplies, including sutures, are nearly expired and we really need more anesthesia equipment," Mohammed told AFP between surgeries.