Sudan army retakes presidential palace from RSF
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Sudanese military forces retook the presidential palace in the battle-damaged capital, Khartoum, marking a possible turning point in Sudan's conflict.
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Smoke billows over the Sudanese capital Khartoum during fighting between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in January. (AFP)
Sudan's army announced Friday it had regained control of the presidential palace in Khartoum from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces following intense fighting.
"Our forces completely destroyed the enemy's fighters and equipment, and seized large quantities of equipment and weapons," army spokesperson Nabil Abdallah said in a statement broadcast on state television.
Abdallah vowed the army would "continue to progress on all fronts until victory is complete and every inch of our country is purged of the militia and its supporters."
On social media, soldiers shared videos appearing inside the presidential palace, exchanging congratulations.
Paramilitary fighters overran the palace in April 2023, when war broke out between the RSF and the army.
At the time, the RSF swiftly took control of Khartoum's streets, with the army-aligned government fleeing to Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast.
Central Khartoum, home to the presidential palace, ministries, and the city’s business district, has experienced intense fighting in recent months as army troops advanced through the area.
Earlier this week, the army announced that its forces had converged from the north and south, encircling the RSF.
Blow to the RSF
"With the army entering the Republican Palace, which means control of central Khartoum, the militia has lost its elite forces," a military expert told AFP, requesting anonymity for their safety.
According to military sources, the paramilitary force had stationed its elite forces and stored ammunition in the former seat of government, a symbol of Sudan's state sovereignty.
"Now the army has destroyed equipment, killed a number of their forces, and seized control of one of its most important supply centers in Khartoum," the expert continued.
In recent months, the army seemed to turn the tide of the war, initially advancing in central Sudan to reclaim territory before shifting its focus to Khartoum.
In January, the army broke an almost two-year RSF siege of the General Command headquarters, enabling troops to unite with other battalions and encircle the RSF in the city center.
"What remained of RSF militias have fled into some buildings" in central Khartoum, a military source told AFP, requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Nearly two years of conflict have claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced over 12 million people, and sparked the world's largest hunger and displacement crises.
