Sudan Army Advances Towards Presidential Palace Amid Escalating Conflict
Sudan’s regular army is nearing the presidential palace, recently engaging in intense fighting against the paramilitary RSF. Fighting escalated in Khartoum, impacting areas of the city while humanitarian crises worsen. The conflict continues to deepen the division within the country, with dire implications for millions of displaced individuals and those facing food insecurity.
On Thursday, troops of Sudan’s regular army advanced within 500 metres of the presidential palace in Khartoum, which has been occupied by rival paramilitaries for nearly two years. Military sources indicate a surge in fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), characterized by reported explosions and gunfire throughout the capital. During their offensive, army forces reportedly destroyed an RSF convoy consisting of 30 vehicles which was trying to withdraw southward.
The ongoing conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has prompted the army to launch a significant operation aimed at reclaiming territories around greater Khartoum that were lost to the RSF in the early phases of the war. Advancing soldiers from the south have connected with those already positioned in the city center, intensifying pressure on the RSF. This power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties and displaced over 12 million individuals.
Currently, the army has reclaimed areas including Khartoum North and the East Nile district, while the RSF maintains several strategic positions in Khartoum and Omdurman. In North Darfur, battles have escalated, particularly in the beleaguered city of El-Fasher, the sole state capital in the region still outside paramilitary control. The RSF has besieged El-Fasher since last May, attempting to dominate the western territory.
Despite the army and allied militias successfully repelling RSF assaults on El-Fasher, the paramilitary group has targeted nearby displacement camps, with aid activists suggesting that its actions serve as retaliation. Many displaced persons in Zamzam camp are facing famine, a dire situation predicted to affect more areas as outlined in a UN assessment, with approximately two million individuals across Sudan experiencing extreme food insecurity and 320,000 already in conditions of famine.
In North Darfur, close to 1.7 million people have been displaced. Governor Minni Minnawi reported that fierce battles between the army and RSF are ongoing in Malha, situated approximately 210 kilometers north of El-Fasher, near the borders with Libya and Chad.
The ongoing struggle for control in Sudan has led to significant military advancements by the regular army towards the presidential palace, heightening tensions in Khartoum. With the RSF’s continued efforts to maintain power and a critical humanitarian crisis unfolding due to widespread food insecurity, the situation remains dire. The conflict has not only impacted the military landscape but also inflicted severe human suffering, displacing millions and exacerbating famine conditions in several regions.
Original Source: www.dawn.com
