Sudan war: Army recaptures presidential palace in Khartoum from RSF

The Sudanese army says it has recaptured the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after almost two years of fighting.

Reclaiming the east African country’s seat of power marks a major victory for the army, which has been making significant advances against the RSF in recent months.

But it is still a long way from ending the war entirely, with large parts of the country still under the RSF’s control.

It is also unclear whether the battle for Khartoum is over: an RSF statement said its fighters were still in the area.

“Our valiant forces are still present in the vicinity of the area,” read an RSF statement issued on the messaging service Telegram.

RSF said a drone strike it launched on the palace complex left numerous dead – including a team of journalists from Sudan’s state TV station and two of the army’s senior media liaison officers.

Bloody clashes are also expected to carry on as the army tries to corner remaining fighters, who occupy swathes of territory to the south of the palace.

They also control parts of the nearby airport.

However, the capture of the palace – which came after fierce battles in the centre of the city – was marked with joyful posts by soldiers on social media. Posts showed jubilant soldiers cheering and kneeling to pray at the entrance.

Nabil Abdallah, the army spokesperson, said on state TV that the military had taken control of the palace and ministry buildings on Friday morning.

“Our forces completely destroyed the enemy’s fighters and equipment, and seized large quantities of equipment and weapons,” Abdallah added.

People in the capital – where some of the biggest battles of the last two years have been fought – are still reeling from life under the RSF soldiers, who have been accused of widespread looting and human rights abuses.

Residents say they feel relieved and safe now that the territory has been taken back by the army.

Some have been saying that they would finally be able to sleep at night.

The conflict, which began in April 2023, has taken a huge toll on civilians, with 12 million people forced from their homes and millions facing famine.

The capital is not the only place the Sudanese Armed Forces have been making gains: the army has also taken parts of central Sudan in recent weeks.

But this does not represent an end to the war as the RSF still controls large areas of the country, particularly in the western Darfur region.

In a video recording on Saturday, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, had vowed to defend the presidential palace and surrounding areas that are under the control of his paramilitary group.

He also threatened further attacks in several northern cities.

Several peace efforts have collapsed as the rival forces pledge to continue fighting to control strategic areas.

As well as causing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, according to the UN, both the RSF and the army have been accused of widespread human rights abuses.