The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has seized control of Sudan’s second largest city, Nyala, from the army after months of fighting, Africa Today News, New York has gathered.
Residents were jubilant, according to one eyewitness, because they thought the violence would stop.
More than 670,000 people have had to leave their homes due to the war.
There are reports of victims littering the streets, and the city’s hospitals have been completely demolished.
This major advance for the RSF comes as the two warring sides were set to resume peace talks in Saudi Arabia.
The army has not commented on its defeat in Nyala.
Nyala, capital of South Darfur state, is a strategic city connecting Sudan with Central African Republic (CAR).
The RSF originated in Darfur and has been accused of atrocities against non-Arabic groups in the region during this year’s conflict.
High-ranking army generals, including the head of the military in Nyala, were killed in battle a few weeks ago.
RSF’s second-in-command Abdulrahim Daglo, who was sanctioned by the US for his alleged role in ethnic cleansing in West Darfur, led the capture of Nyala.
Eyewitnesses have reported that RSF fighters have been looting and storming civilian houses since they seized the city.
Africa Today News, New York reports that EMERGENCY, a medical organisation that provides treatment to victims of war, says its Sudanese staff members were taken from a paediatric centre in Nyala and arrested by the RSF.
In June the RSF captured Um-Dafog, a small town on the border with CAR which is believed to be a key area for their supply chain.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been accused of supplying weapons to the RSF through CAR and Chad’s Um-Dafog. It has denied the accusations.