The Sudanese army has declared success in capturing the capital Khartoum from paramilitary militias following two years of bloody fighting.
Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan arrived at the presidential palace in the capital late Wednesday and declared Khartoum “free” after the expulsion of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary forces.
“It’s over… Khartoum is free,” Al-Burhan, who is also the commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), said at the presidential palace surrounded by dozens of soldiers, according to local media.
Earlier Wednesday, the Khartoum State Government’s official platform said on Facebook that Khartoum is free of all RSF forces.
Al-Burhan’s arrival marks the first time his helicopter has landed in Khartoum since the war erupted nearly two years ago.
The army announced Friday that it had regained control of the presidential palace, while the RSF downplayed the loss, insisting it did not signify defeat.
A series of advances by the SAF has led some observers to posit that the African nation’s years long civil war could be at a crucial turning point.
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Meanwhile, Basha Tabiq, an adviser to the commander of the RSF, dismissed claims that the army had secured a victory in Khartoum, insisting the paramilitary group remains intact.
The army continued its advances Wednesday, reclaiming the capital’s airport, security headquarters and neighborhoods in eastern and southern Khartoum for the first time since April 2023.
The RSF’s territorial control has been shrinking rapidly in recent weeks, with the army reclaiming areas across Khartoum, Al-Jazira, White Nile, North Kordofan, Sennar and Blue Nile states.
Moutassim Elharith Eldawi, a British-Sudanese political strategist, expressed to 5Pillars his concerns over how the war may evolve despite the “stunning development.”
“The rapid collapse of RSF forces in Khartoum is a stunning development in the ongoing war in Sudan. The unobstructed withdrawal of RSF troops from Khartoum, without resistance from SAF, probably points out to a tacit agreement brokered by regional or international intermediaries.
“This raises crucial questions as to the extent parties are willing to proceed without engaging in direct negotiations. Furthermore, it draws attention to the prospective future of Kordofan and Darfur, and whether those regions will evolve into a de facto state in western Sudan.”
Bloody civil war
On April 15, 2023, civil war broke out in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by de facto head of state General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known colloquially as “Hemedti.”
The RSF emerged out of the feared Janjaweed militia that had terrorised the Darfur region of Sudan.
While the SAF and RSF previously worked together to forcibly oust President Omar al-Bashir from power in 2019, the rival armed groups later split amid a power struggle.
The major point of contention was the disputed timeline for RSF integration into the national military, with the RSF preferring a 10-year process to the SAF’s preferred two-year plan.
The dispute and other areas of contention eventually let to fighting and rival zones of influence set up across the country, leading to full blown civil war.
The international community and the UN have called for an end to the war, warning of an impending humanitarian catastrophe as millions face famine and death due to food shortages.
The conflict has spread to 13 of Sudan’s 18 states leaving at least 20,000 killed and 14 million Sudanese displaced, according to the UN.
Research from U.S. universities, however, estimates the death toll could be as high 130,000.
Veteran Arab journalist Abdel Bari Atwan told 5Pillars that the two main Sudanese generals are most to blame for war in the nation, but the picture is complicated by the vested interests of the U.S., Israel, Gulf nations, Egypt and Russia.
“Sudan is the victim of a major conspiracy that could lead to any outcome, including partition or civil war. The military establishment is unquestionably responsible for playing the biggest role in causing this calamity. The power-struggles between its generals and commanders are driven by purely selfish motives, with no regard for the country’s territorial unity or the interests and well-being of its people.”
