Sudan’s army claims gains in capital Khartoum

Fighting also intensifies in Darfur

A satellite image shows a fire engulfing Sudan's largest oil refinery north of Khartoum on Friday. AP Photo

The Sudanese army announced significant advances against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, breaking an 18-month siege on its General Command headquarters in Khartoum and the Signal Corps base in Bahri. They followed fierce battles in central Bahri.

In a statement, the General Command of the Armed Forces said its troops completed a second phase of their operations by connecting forces from Bahri with those at HQ.

The army said it also expelled RSF fighters from Al Jeely oil refinery, 70km north of Khartoum, after advances on Wednesday. The paramilitary group seized the refinery, Sudan's largest, soon after the fighting began in April 2023.

The military on Friday released pictures and video of its generals at the General Command headquarters after breaking the RSF siege.

Sudan's Information Minister Khalid Ali Aleisir said the army's victories in Khartoum marked a turning point in efforts to restore security and stability. However, the RSF dismissed the army's claims as an attempt to raise the morale of its forces.

The army regained control of the city of Wad Medani, capital of the agricultural Al Gezira state south of Khartoum, this month.

In the western region of Darfur, fighting intensified between the army and its local ally, the Joint Force, against the RSF in Al Fasher, capital of North Darfur, after the RSF's 48-hour ultimatum for its opponents to surrender or leave expired on Friday.

A spokesman for the Joint Force, Maj Ahmed Hussein Mustafa, said they repelled an RSF attack on five fronts. He said more than 400 RSF fighters were killed and more than 30 military vehicles destroyed.

In a related development, an adviser to RSF leader Gen Mohamed Dagalo resigned on Friday, blaming the force's targeting of civilians in the conflict.

Ayub Osman Nahar said the RSF attacked civilians with artillery and drones, particularly in North Darfur state, and burnt villages and killed civilians in North Darfur and Al Gezira.

Sudan's war is escalating tension with neighbouring South Sudan. Khartoum is accusing Juba of supporting the RSF and fuelling an escalation in the conflict.

The diplomatic dispute follows reports of 16 Sudanese citizens, including a doctor, killed across four provinces in South Sudan and allegations of civilians from the Darfur region being killed in areas of Sudan recently regained by the army.

Fighting between the army and the RSF has devastated Sudan and created a severe humanitarian crisis.

The UN says nearly 1.5 million people have fled across Sudan's borders, and more than 6.1 million are internally displaced, making Sudan the world's worst displacement crisis.