Sudan Conflict: SAF Recaptures Presidential Palace, Key Buildings in Khartoum
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has retaken full control of the Republican Palace and key government buildings in the capital city of Khartoum, reported the Associated Press (AP).
These major gains come after nearly two years of fighting against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in a conflict that has caused one of the world’s worst human crises.
SAF Advances in Khartoum
The spokesperson for the SAF, Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdullah, said that the Sudanese military on Saturday managed to drive out the RSF from the headquarters of the National Intelligence Service and Corinthia Hotel in central Khartoum.
Abdullah added that the SAF also regained control of the headquarters of the Central Bank of Sudan, the national museum, and other government and educational buildings in the area.
Regaining Republican Palace
On Friday, the Sudanese military recaptured the Republican Palace, the country’s presidential palace, in a major gain for the SAF.
The Sudanese Information Minister, Khaled al-Aiser, confirmed the news. “Today the flag is raised, the palace is back and the journey continues until victory is complete,” he wrote on X.
Furthermore, the SAF’s spokesperson, Abdullah, said the military troops are holding the palace, surrounding ministry buildings and the Arab Market to the south of the complex.
Major Victory for SAF
Regaining control over the Republican Palace represents a key symbolic victory for the SAF. It was the seat of power before the war and features on Sudanese banknotes and postage stamps.
It adds to the recent advances made by the SAF and means that RSF fighters have been largely expelled from the capital, Khartoum.
In the light of this, the former UN envoy for Sudan, Volker Perthes, expected that the latest military advances will force the RSF to retreat to its stronghold in the western region of Darfur.
“The army has gained an important and significant victory in Khartoum militarily and politically,” Perthes told AP, saying that SAF will soon clear the capital and its surrounding areas from the RSF.
Areas of Control
Since the war broke out in April 2023, the RSF took over multiple government and military buildings in Khartoum, including the Republican Palace, the headquarters of the state television and the military’s General Command.
Over the past few months, the SAF made major advances, retaking much of Khartoum and its sister cities of Omdurman and Khartoum North, in addition to other Sudanese cities. Moreover, it lifted the RSF’s siege over the General Command in late January.
The RSF is still holding Khartoum International Airport, only some 2.5 kilometers southeast of the Republican Palace. The Sudanese military is likely to retake the airport soon.
The conflict in Sudan has effectively split the country in two, with the SAF holding the east and north, while the RSF controls nearly the entire western region of Darfur and parts of the south, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
On Sunday, the RSF launched an artillery attack on Omdurman, killing 3 civilians, including two children.
Worst Humanitarian Crisis
The war in Sudan, which broke out nearly two years ago, has caused what the UN calls “the world’s most devastating humanitarian and displacement crisis.” It has claimed the lives of more than 28,000 people, displaced millions from their homes and caused famine in some parts of the country, according to AP.
Furthermore, Sudan has become among the world’s top four countries with the highest prevalence of acute malnutrition, at an estimated rate of 13.6%. The UNOCHA expected the situation to deteriorate further in 2025, as a result of the ongoing conflict; food insecurity; lack of water, sanitation and hygiene services; displacement; and disease outbreaks.
Additionally, Sudan has seen multiple disease outbreaks since the start of the conflict, such as cholera, malaria, dengue fever, measles, and rubella, putting nearly 3.4 million children under the age of five at high risk of epidemic diseases, according to the UNICEF.
