Sudanese military has taken complete control of the presidential palace in Khartoum, according to military officials

The Sudanese military has taken complete control of the Presidential Palace in Khartoum, as reported by Sudan state television and military sources on Friday. This marks a significant development in a two-year conflict that poses a risk of fracturing the nation. The army is currently conducting search operations in the vicinity of the palace to locate members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to the sources.

Witnesses informed Reuters that intermittent gunfire could be heard in various central areas of Khartoum. The ongoing conflict has resulted in what the United Nations describes as the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, leading to famine in multiple regions and widespread disease throughout the country. Both factions have faced accusations of war crimes, with the RSF also being charged with genocide, claims that both parties deny.

At the onset of the war in April 2023, the paramilitary group swiftly captured the palace and much of the capital. However, in recent months, the Sudanese Armed Forces have made a resurgence, gradually advancing towards the palace along the River Nile.

The RSF, which began establishing a parallel government earlier this year, still controls parts of Khartoum and the neighboring city of Omdurman, as well as regions in western Sudan, where it is attempting to seize the army’s final stronghold in Darfur, specifically al-Fashir. Securing the capital could accelerate the army’s complete takeover of central Sudan and solidify the territorial divide between the two factions in the east and west.

Both sides have committed to continuing their fight for control over the rest of the country, with no progress made towards peace negotiations. The conflict ignited amid a power struggle between Sudan’s military and the RSF, coinciding with plans for a transition to civilian governance.