The Sudanese army has recaptured Khartoum’s presidential palace from its rival paramilitary swift support forces, military leaders said.
Videos and photos posted on social media and verified by the BBC show jubilant soldiers waving guns and cheering and kneeling to pray.
The Army appears poised to regain control of the capital two years after being kicked out by a paramilitary rival known as the RSF.
The paramilitary group has not commented yet.
Army spokesman Nabil Abdallah said on state television that the military controlled the palace and provincial buildings in central Khartoum.
“Our forces completely destroyed enemy fighters and equipment and seized a large amount of equipment and weapons,” added Abdallah.
Khartoum is where the country’s brutal civil war began almost two years ago, and where some of its biggest battles were fought.
The RSF has held most of its capital, as well as the western side of Sudan since the start of the war.
Reclaiming Khartoum will be a major victory for the Sudanese army and a pivotal moment in conflict. The Army has also benefited in parts of Central Sudan in recent weeks.
On Thursday, eyewitnesses reported explosions from drone attacks and air attacks near the Republican Palace.
In a video recording on Saturday, RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedi, vowed to protect the Presidential Palace and surrounding areas under the control of his paramilitary group.
He threatened further attacks in several northern cities.
Several peace efforts fell apart as rivals vowed to continue fighting to control their strategic fields.
According to the United Nations, the war caused the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis, with both the RSF and the military being accused of widespread human rights abuse.
Additional Reports by Wycliffe Muia
