The Sudanese army said Saturday it had retaken a key state capital south of Khartoum from rival paramilitaries who had held it for the past five months.

The Sennar state capital of Sinja is a strategic prize in the 19-month-old war between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces as it lies on a key road linking army-controlled areas of eastern and central Sudan.

The army said that Sinja had been “liberated… from the terrorist militia”. It posted footage on social media that it said had been filmed inside the main base in the city.

Aiser’s office said armed forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had travelled to the city of Sennar, 60 kilometres (40 miles) to the north, on Saturday to “inspect the operation and celebrate the liberation of Sinja”.

The RSF had taken the two cities in a lightning offensive in June that saw nearly 726,000 civilians flee, according to UN figures. Human rights groups have said that those who were unwilling or unable to leave have faced months of arbitrary violence by RSF fighters.