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 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 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 nearly two years of war.