Sudanese army seizes strategic locations in central Khartoum amid fighting with rebel faction

The Sudanese army claimed Sunday to have gained control of strategic locations in central Khartoum from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

A military statement said that army forces seized the Nile Towers, a high-rise residential-commercial building, and the Al Mansheiya Bridge in the heart of the capital.

The army said its forces also secured the Sherwani Bus Station, the largest transportation hub in central Khartoum.

Activists shared videos on social media showing Sudanese soldiers patrolling the Sherwani Bus Station and two nearby neighborhoods.

With the new gains, the army has now positioned itself closer to the Army Command Center in western Khartoum and the Presidential Palace in the south.

There was no immediate comment from the RSF on the army statement.

On Saturday, RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, said in a video recording that his forces will not leave Khartoum or the Presidential Palace, which they have controlled since the start of the conflict.

Over the past few weeks, the territorial control of the RSF has been shrinking rapidly in favor of the Sudanese army across several states, including Khartoum, Al-Jazira, White Nile, North Kordofan, Sennar, and Blue Nile.

In the Khartoum state, which consists of three cities, the army now controls all of Bahri City in the north, most parts of Omdurman City in the west, and 75% of central Khartoum City, which houses the Presidential Palace and the country's main airport. The RSF, however, still maintains control over the eastern and southern parts of the city.

The army and RSF have been fighting a war since mid-April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.

International and UN calls for an end to the war are mounting, warning of an impending humanitarian catastrophe as millions face famine and death due to food shortages. The conflict has spread to 13 of Sudan's 18 states.