Khartoum – After two days of combat, on March 21, the Sudanese Army (SAF) recaptured control of the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum from the swiftly supported forces (RSF) militia. The latter captured the iconic target, the palace, at the beginning of the war that broke out in April 2023.
The recapture of the Presidential Palace marks another turning point in an army-led military operation in the capital. The rapid support forces now only control the bridge over the Nile that links Khartoum to western Sudan, through which they can receive supplies and reinforcements and leave the city.
However, late this morning, RSF representatives said they had not yet abandoned the area near the Presidential Palace and the battle was not over. It is difficult to say whether the recapture of Hartzm by the Sudanese forces under General Abdel Fatta al-Burhan will put an end to the war.
The rapid support forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo still dominate the country’s western Darfur region, taking into account their bases. The RSF has also declared a “parallel government” (see Fides, 2/2025), making peaceful solutions to conflict difficult. The Sudan War has led to the world’s largest humanitarian catastrophe without a single ceasefire since the start of the battle. RSF bombings, Congolese airstrikes, hunger and disease have claimed at least 61,000 lives in Khartoum alone.
