The paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces, which is fighting the army for power in Sudan, said they had captured Nyala, the country’s second-largest city, on Thursday.
The takeover of the main city of South Darfur state in the west of the country could be a turning point in Sudan’s six-month war, as the two sides are supposed to resume talks in Jeddah.
The army did not comment on the claim, and a network blackout made it hard to confirm it.
The RSF has controlled most of the capital, Khartoum, but the army has defended its key bases there.
Meanwhile, many government officials have moved to Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast.
The RSF said they had taken over the army’s main headquarters in Nyala and seized all its equipment.
It showed a video of its soldiers celebrating with gunfire, claiming to have taken over the base.
It also showed a video of RSF second-in-command Abdelrahim Dagalo, who has been sanctioned by the United States and said he was leading the effort.
Nyala, a trade hub that observers say could serve as a base for the RSF, had seen fierce clashes, with air and artillery strikes killing many people, destroying civilian homes, and disabling basic services.
At least 670,000 South Darfur residents have been forced from their homes, the second worst affected state after Khartoum.
The RSF, whose power base lies in parts of the Darfur region, has been accused of carrying out an ethnic massacre in West Darfur’s capital, Geneina, and stirring up tensions across the region.
It has also taken control of Zalingei, the capital of Central Darfur state.
As for the other two state capitals in the region, the RSF has deployed across East Darfur’s capital El Daein – although the army has kept its bases there – while intense battles are ongoing in North Darfur’s El Fasher.
