The Sudanese army announced on Tuesday that it had successfully expelled rival paramilitaries from their final strongholds in Omdurman. Consequently, this achievement secures the entire Khartoum state nearly two months after recapturing the capital’s center.
“We affirm that Khartoum state is completely free of rebels,” military spokesman Nabil Abdallah declared in a statement, referring to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF has been engaged in a brutal conflict with the regular army since April 2023.
Strategic Victories and Ongoing Conflict
In its most significant victory since the war began, the army recaptured central Khartoum in March. This pushed the RSF to retreat to two remaining positions: Salha, south of Omdurman, and Ombada to the west. The army launched a “large-scale offensive” on Monday to drive the RSF out of both areas. Explosions from the clashes echoed across the city, as reported by an AFP correspondent.
The RSF has not yet commented on the military’s latest announcement. If confirmed, this would solidify army control over central Sudan, pushing the paramilitaries back towards their stronghold in the vast western region of Darfur. The war, now in its third year, pits the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against the RSF, under his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
Humanitarian Crisis and International Response
The conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced 13 million people, creating what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. It has effectively split Africa’s third-largest country in two, with the army holding the center, north, and east while the RSF controls nearly all of Darfur and parts of the south.
The latest battles around Khartoum come as both sides seek to install rival governments. On Monday, Burhan appointed former UN official Kamil Idris as prime minister, a move analysts see as an attempt to present a functioning civilian-led administration amid the ongoing war. Both the Arab League and the African Union have welcomed the appointment, with the former calling it an “important step toward restoring the work of national civil institutions”.
Escalating Violence
After a major battlefield victory in March, when the army recaptured most of Khartoum, the RSF this month launched attacks deep into army-held territory. Long-range drone strikes blamed on the paramilitaries have targeted key infrastructure in army-held northeastern Sudan, including the wartime capital Port Sudan and power stations supplying electricity to millions.
From their last remaining positions, the RSF had launched attacks across Khartoum, including drone strikes on three power stations that knocked out electricity in the capital last week. Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported that the local water network had been forced out of service, risking the spread of cholera in the city as residents “will turn to different water sources”.
