Intensifying Battles in Khartoum as Sudanese Army Tightens Siege on Presidential Palace
Fierce confrontations continue between the Sudanese Army and Rapid Support Forces as casualties mount and humanitarian conditions worsen.
On Monday, sources from the Sudanese army reported that the armored corps had engaged with the army and secured positions from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in central Khartoum, while tightening the siege around the presidential palace amidst escalating battles in the capital.
The army's spokesperson announced that the armored corps had engaged RSF troops near the General Command headquarters after regaining control of the Shab hospital, which had previously been under RSF control.
Over the past months, clashes between the RSF and the army have intensified in Khartoum as the army has regained control over several areas initially lost in the onset of hostilities.
The army confirmed that its forces are now positioned less than one kilometer from the presidential palace, which the RSF captured early in the conflict.
According to the Ministry of Health in Khartoum State, seven individuals were killed in shelling in Omdurman on Sunday, with 43 others injured.
The shelling targeted residential neighborhoods and affected civilians in their homes, including children playing football, as reported by the media office of Khartoum State.
RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (known as Hemedti) pledged in a video message shared via Telegram on Saturday that his forces would not withdraw from the presidential palace.
Bashar Tapiek, an advisor to the RSF commander, stated that RSF forces had destroyed a unit that had infiltrated central Khartoum.
The RSF also claimed victories in the Blue Nile state.
Witnesses reported seeing heavy smoke rising over Khartoum amidst ongoing clashes, with gunfire and explosions heard in multiple locations.
In recent weeks, the area controlled by the RSF has been narrowing rapidly, primarily yielding ground to the army in the states of Khartoum, Al-Jazirah, White Nile, North Kordofan, Sennar, and Blue Nile.
In Khartoum—comprising three cities—the army has regained full control over Khartoum North and most areas of Omdurman (to the west) and approximately 75% of central Khartoum, which houses the presidential palace and the international airport.
Meanwhile, RSF forces remain positioned in neighborhoods to the east and south of the city.
In the city of El-Obeid, located 400 kilometers southwest of Khartoum, two civilians were killed, and 15 others were injured following bombardment by RSF forces targeting residential areas on Monday morning, according to a medical source at the local hospital.
For the first time in two years, the army was able to break the RSF blockade of El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, last month, where approximately one million people are facing famine, according to United Nations reports.
The city serves as a crucial link between Khartoum and the vast Darfur region, predominantly under RSF control.
In Blue Nile state, adjacent to South Sudan and Ethiopia, clashes erupted between the warring factions.
The RSF reported destroying a significant number of vehicles and equipment belonging to the army and capturing personnel from the attacking forces.
Since the conflict began in April 2023, tens of thousands have lost their lives, and over 12 million people have been displaced, resulting in a humanitarian crisis described as the largest in the world.
The warring parties share control over various regions, with the army holding northern and eastern areas and recovering extensive territories in central Sudan, while the RSF maintains control over the majority of the Darfur region and parts of the south.
In a humanitarian update, the Sudanese Red Crescent reported that the number of displaced individuals from villages in West Al-Ruhad, North Kordofan, has surpassed 10,000 due to ongoing RSF attacks in the area.
Walid Al-Rashid, the executive director of the Sudanese Red Crescent in Al-Ruhad locality, emphasized that the city is facing deteriorating humanitarian conditions, highlighting an urgent need for health and food assistance to support the growing number of displaced individuals.
Al-Rashid warned of serious humanitarian repercussions amid continuing security deterioration, calling for humanitarian organizations and relevant entities to intensify their support efforts immediately.
In a separate development, authorities in Khartoum announced the discovery of what they described as a mass grave in the Al-Faiha neighborhood of the East Nile area, recently reclaimed by the army from the RSF.
Officials stated that a deep well had been transformed into a mass grave, where the remains of civilians were reportedly dumped.
The army's spokesperson announced that the armored corps had engaged RSF troops near the General Command headquarters after regaining control of the Shab hospital, which had previously been under RSF control.
Over the past months, clashes between the RSF and the army have intensified in Khartoum as the army has regained control over several areas initially lost in the onset of hostilities.
The army confirmed that its forces are now positioned less than one kilometer from the presidential palace, which the RSF captured early in the conflict.
According to the Ministry of Health in Khartoum State, seven individuals were killed in shelling in Omdurman on Sunday, with 43 others injured.
The shelling targeted residential neighborhoods and affected civilians in their homes, including children playing football, as reported by the media office of Khartoum State.
RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (known as Hemedti) pledged in a video message shared via Telegram on Saturday that his forces would not withdraw from the presidential palace.
Bashar Tapiek, an advisor to the RSF commander, stated that RSF forces had destroyed a unit that had infiltrated central Khartoum.
The RSF also claimed victories in the Blue Nile state.
Witnesses reported seeing heavy smoke rising over Khartoum amidst ongoing clashes, with gunfire and explosions heard in multiple locations.
In recent weeks, the area controlled by the RSF has been narrowing rapidly, primarily yielding ground to the army in the states of Khartoum, Al-Jazirah, White Nile, North Kordofan, Sennar, and Blue Nile.
In Khartoum—comprising three cities—the army has regained full control over Khartoum North and most areas of Omdurman (to the west) and approximately 75% of central Khartoum, which houses the presidential palace and the international airport.
Meanwhile, RSF forces remain positioned in neighborhoods to the east and south of the city.
In the city of El-Obeid, located 400 kilometers southwest of Khartoum, two civilians were killed, and 15 others were injured following bombardment by RSF forces targeting residential areas on Monday morning, according to a medical source at the local hospital.
For the first time in two years, the army was able to break the RSF blockade of El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, last month, where approximately one million people are facing famine, according to United Nations reports.
The city serves as a crucial link between Khartoum and the vast Darfur region, predominantly under RSF control.
In Blue Nile state, adjacent to South Sudan and Ethiopia, clashes erupted between the warring factions.
The RSF reported destroying a significant number of vehicles and equipment belonging to the army and capturing personnel from the attacking forces.
Since the conflict began in April 2023, tens of thousands have lost their lives, and over 12 million people have been displaced, resulting in a humanitarian crisis described as the largest in the world.
The warring parties share control over various regions, with the army holding northern and eastern areas and recovering extensive territories in central Sudan, while the RSF maintains control over the majority of the Darfur region and parts of the south.
In a humanitarian update, the Sudanese Red Crescent reported that the number of displaced individuals from villages in West Al-Ruhad, North Kordofan, has surpassed 10,000 due to ongoing RSF attacks in the area.
Walid Al-Rashid, the executive director of the Sudanese Red Crescent in Al-Ruhad locality, emphasized that the city is facing deteriorating humanitarian conditions, highlighting an urgent need for health and food assistance to support the growing number of displaced individuals.
Al-Rashid warned of serious humanitarian repercussions amid continuing security deterioration, calling for humanitarian organizations and relevant entities to intensify their support efforts immediately.
In a separate development, authorities in Khartoum announced the discovery of what they described as a mass grave in the Al-Faiha neighborhood of the East Nile area, recently reclaimed by the army from the RSF.
Officials stated that a deep well had been transformed into a mass grave, where the remains of civilians were reportedly dumped.
