Khartoum, March 21 (IANS) The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on Friday regained control of the presidential palace in central Khartoum, which had been held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since mid-April 2023, according to official Sudan TV.
The SAF forces “managed to crush the remnants of the militia in the central areas of Khartoum, including the Al Souq Al-Arabi Market, the Republican Palace buildings and the ministries,” SAF spokesman Nabil Abdalla announced in a televised statement.
“Our forces have completely destroyed the enemy’s personnel and equipment and seized large quantities of its equipment and weapons in the mentioned areas,” he said.
The battle for the palace intensified over the past four days, with the SAF deploying warplanes and drones against RSF fighters entrenched in high-rise buildings and government institutions, Xinhua news agency reported. Heavy artillery and airstrikes caused extensive damage, with activists sharing footage of fires raging in central Khartoum.
Since February, the Sudanese army has reclaimed most of Khartoum, with the RSF holding only a few strongholds, including the Jabal Awliya area in the south, home to a major dam.
On Saturday, RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo insisted his forces would not withdraw from Khartoum or the presidential palace. However, the RSF has been steadily losing ground in central Sudan despite maintaining control over much of western Sudan and parts of the capital.
On Sunday, the Sudanese army’s armored corps launched a large-scale operation in Khartoum, advancing north and east to link up with the army’s general command in the city center. This move further tightened its grip on RSF fighters at the palace.
Sudan has been embroiled in conflict between the SAF and RSF since mid-April 2023, with almost 30,000 lives lost, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project cited by the United Nations.
–IANS
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