Sudan's army recaptures presidential palace after two years of war

BarcelonaSudan's military has scored a major victory in its power struggle against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Friday, two years after the beginning of a civil war which has caused the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet. The country's armed forces have announced that they have taken control of the presidential palace and the center of Khartoum, the capital, where the government buildings are located.

In April 2023, after clashes between the army and the SRF, the paramilitaries stormed the palace and took control of Merowe International Airport and other strategic locations, such as military barracks and public television. Sudan had already been immersed in a political crisis since 2019, whena wave of popular mobilizations against the regime of President Omar al-Bashir,The coup, which had been in power for 30 years and was accused of war crimes, ended in a military coup.

Military spokesmen have confirmed that regular troops have launched an operation to pursue SRF fighters who have fled south of the capital in the face of army advances in the city center. In a statement, army spokesman Nabil Abdala said his soldiers "have completely destroyed the enemy's personnel and equipment" and pledged to continue "on all battle fronts until complete victory is achieved."

The SRF stated in a statement that its fighters "are still in the vicinity of Palau" and that they carried out an operation that left 89 members of the Sudanese army dead, an unconfirmed figure.

In these two years, the paramilitaries have consolidated power in the west of the country and control virtually the entire Darfur region, where they have created a parallel government. The government, controlled by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, moved to Port Sudan, in the east of the country, which is also home to foreign embassies and international organizations. With the latest advances, the regular army has gained control of most of Khartoum, with the exception of some areas in the west and south.

Some analysts warn that the result could be a partition. de facto of the country. "It seems that the geographical bifurcation is becoming stronger. The SRF must secure el-Fashir to claim a state de facto, which is not certain," Sharath Srinivasan, a Sudan expert at Cambridge University, tells Al Jazeera, suggesting the country is heading towards a scenario like Libya, where there are two parallel governments.

Humanitarian crisis

The civil war in Sudan has become the world's worst humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations. It has left tens of thousands dead—up to 150,000, according to some estimates—and displaced more than 12 million people.

Both sides have been accused of war crimes. Earlier this month, UNICEF, the UN children's agency, published a report alleging more than 200 sexual assaults on children, including children as young as one.