Sudan's military retakes presidential palace from RSF militia in civil war: Report

After two years of civil war, the Sudanese military has retaken the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum from the rival paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF), military sources told Reuters on Friday.

In 2023, the worsening relations between Sudanese military and RSF, who had jointly run the country since the ouster of the dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019, spiralled into a civil war. Tens of thousands have since been killed and millions of people have been displaced.

The takeover of the presidential place could be crucial moment for the military. Shortly after the fighting began in April, the RSF took over the presidential palace and most of Khartoum. However, the military has made gains in offensives in recent months and has retaken territories. With the latest victory, the Sudanese military could control central Sudan soon.

Military sourcse told Reuters that the military took the presidential palace from eastern direction.

Since 2021, Sudanese military’s General Abdel-Fattah Burhan had been the leader of Sudan and RSF’s leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo was the country’s deputy. The rising profile of RSF’s Dagalo led to worsening of the relatiopnships and Burhan’s order to integrate the the RSF into the regular military. This culminated in a cvil war in 2023.

Even RSF appears to have lost control of the presidential palace, it retains control of other parts of Khartoum, neighbouring Omdurman province, and Western Sudan, according to Reuters.