Sudan’s army and allied militias pushing RSF from capital’s outskirts

Hundreds of paramilitary fighters heading to Darfur from the capital, witnesses say

People displaced by the war in Sudan prepare to board buses to return to the city of Wad Medani in Al Gezira state, after it was retaken by the army. AFP

Sudan's army and allied militias are forcing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces out of the outskirts of the Sudanese capital as they press on with a multi-front offensive that caused the RSF to quickly lose ground, with hundreds of its fighters seen fleeing aboard lorries, according to witnesses.

During the offensive over the past three weeks, the army has taken control of most of Bahri and Omdurman that, along with Khartoum, make up the capital's greater region.

In a dramatic development, the troops and allied militias that recently pushed the RSF out of the agriculture-rich Al Gezira state have reached the southern and eastern outskirts of the capital. However, their advance has been stalled by heavy gunfire from RSF fighters guarding a key bridge on the Blue Nile in the district of Soba. The bridge is about 25km from Khartoum's city centre.

Hundreds of RSF fighters and their families were seen in the south of Khartoum fleeing the capital and heading to the western region of Darfur along with lorries loaded with supplies, according to witnesses.

Video clips shared widely online purported to show army tanks on the streets of southern Khartoum. It was the first time they have been seen in the capital since the early days of the war.

Other footage purported to show army soldiers and militiamen in the city's industrial district, about 5km from the heart of Khartoum. The sound of shelling and heavy machinegun fire could be heard in the background. The National could not immediately verify the authenticity of the videos.

Recapturing the entire capital by the army and its allies will reverse the losses sustained in the early days of the war but will likely cause further destruction and place civilians in harm's way.

According to Sudanese analyst Osman Al Mirghani, it will give the armed forces a major victory that could turn the tide of the 21-month war.

“It will mean the return to the capital of millions who had been driven away from their homes by the fighting as well as the return from Port Sudan, on the Red Sea, of the government and the army's leadership,” Mr Al Mirghani said.

The RSF is still in control of the capital's international airport, the Nile-side presidential palace as well as ministries in the heart of Khartoum. Adding to the daunting task of recapturing the rest of the capital is the posting of paramilitary snipers on the rooftops of high rises in Khartoum.

“The army is trying to advance on a multitude of fronts towards central Khartoum given its strategic importance,” said retired army brigadier and military analyst Osman Hemeida. “Top of the list of targets there is the presidential palace, army bases, the central bank, federal ministries and the headquarters of the intelligence agency.

“But the Rapid Support Forces continues to have a large and well supplied number of fighters in the area, which means the army will suffer heavy losses when it attempts to wrest back control of the area."

Meanwhile, fierce battles are taking place in Sharq El Neel, or east of the Nile, with the army and its allies repelling a major counter-offensive by the RSF, witnesses said.

Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, Sudan's army chief and de factor ruler, visited the area on Tuesday, when he repeated his pledge to continue fighting until the RSF is defeated, according to the military.

Wresting control of the entire capital will leave the RSF with most of Darfur, a western region about the same size of France, that has been mired in violence, famine and mass displacement for more than two decades.

The RSF controls all major cities in Darfur except one – El Fasher – which has been besieged by the paramilitary since May. The army and local allies have repelled repeated attempts by the RSF to seize the city, which, along with camps for the displaced outside it, is plagued by famine and occasionally targeted by indiscriminate shelling.

The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 when the rivalry between Gen Al Burhan and RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo boiled over into violence.

The war has to date killed tens of thousands of people, displaced more than 12 million and created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with about 26 million – more than half the population – facing acute hunger. Pockets of famine have also surfaced across the nation, Africa's third largest in size.

Both Gen Al Burhan and Gen Dagalo, who are former allies, claim to fight for the benefit of Sudan's 50 million people, declaring their intention to restore democratic rule in the religiously and ethnically diverse nation. The pair face charges of war crimes levelled by the UN and international rights groups.

Al Shafie Ahmed reported from Kampala, Uganda.