By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Two years after seizing control of Sudan’s Presidential Palace, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been dislodged by rival government forces in Khartoum, military authorities have announced.
Jubilant soldiers were seen on Friday, waving their guns, cheering, and kneeling to pray, according to videos and photographs posted on social media.
The RSF, which ousted the military from the Presidential Palace in 2023 when the war over power began, has yet to comment on the development.
The military has regained control of the palace and key ministry buildings in central Khartoum, army spokesperson Nabil Abdallah said on state TV.
“Our forces completely destroyed the enemy’s fighters and equipment, and seized large quantities of equipment and weapons,” Abdallah stated.
“We confirm that we will continue fighting until victory is complete.”
The country’s brutal civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the army and RSF, started in Khartoum, where some of the biggest battles of the last two years have been fought.
The RSF has held control of Khartoum and western Sudan since the war began.
Repeated efforts to broker peace between Sudanese military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former ally, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, have failed.
Burhan has ruled out negotiations with the RSF, instead declaring that he will “fight for 100 years.”
Meanwhile, army spokesperson Nabil Abdallah has confirmed that the fighting will continue.
Dagalo was seen in a recorded video, vowing to defend the Presidential Palace and surrounding areas under his paramilitary group’s control.
He also threatened further attacks in several northern cities.
According to the United Nations, the war has triggered the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, displacing thousands from their homes.
