Key Points
- The Sudanese army says it broke the RSF’s siege in Khartoum.
- RSF denies the claims, accusing the army of propaganda.
- Civilians remain at risk as the war worsens across Sudan.
After over two years of fighting, the Sudanese army said on Friday that it had successfully broken the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) siege of its command center in the heart of Khartoum. This would be a major victory in the capital.
Sudanese army claims major breakthrough in Khartoum siege
The RSF refuted the army’s assertions, referring to them as “propaganda” intended to raise spirits. The army was also accused by the group of using manipulated films to disseminate misleading information. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the claims made by either side.
Tens of thousands of people have been dead, millions have been displaced, and half of Sudan’s population is now hungry as a result of the fight, which started in April 2023 amid disagreements about the two armies’ merger.
The capital of Sudan, Khartoum, is made up of three cities: Khartoum, Omdurman, and Bahri. These cities are divided by the Nile River and are referred to as the “triangular capital.”
As stated by Reuters, the army claimed to have broken the siege on its Signal Corps base, which is one of Khartoum Bahri’s biggest military outposts. In order to connect with soldiers in central Khartoum, which had also been under siege, army troops then crossed the Nile.
If verified, the army’s reported advance would mark a major advance in Khartoum, where RSF forces have remained well positioned and occupied strategic locations such as the presidential palace, the Signal Corps barracks, and the General Command. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the army, paid troops a visit in Al-Jili, north of Bahri, where the military asserted that it had taken back control of Sudan’s biggest oil refinery.
Intensified clashes erupt in North Darfur amid heavy losses
The RSF and Sudanese combined forces, which include the army, armed resistance groups, police, and local defense units, engaged in fierce combat in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, on Friday. According to Reuters, they suffered significant casualties and repulsed an RSF offensive early on Friday. Regarding the clashes in El Fasher, the RSF has not made any comments.
The United Arab Emirates was also charged by the combined forces with giving the RSF political, military, and logistical support. In the past, the UAE has denied providing military support to the RSF, claiming that its primary objective in Sudan is humanitarian help.
In a similar event, RSF leader Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo’s advisor Ayoub Nahar quit on Friday, citing the group’s targeting of civilians.
