Khartoum, Sudan, Mar 20 (EFE).- The Sudanese army announced Thursday that its forces have reached the gates of the Presidential Palace in central Khartoum, which has been under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Forces (RSF) since the war broke out in Apr. 2023.
In a statement, the Armed Forces said they had taken control of high-rise buildings east of the palace and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters, located less than half a mile from the palace’s eastern gate.
Government troops are also advancing from the south toward the city center, the statement added.
Videos circulating on social media, posted by residents, humanitarian workers, and soldiers, show intense clashes between the army and RSF fighters in central Khartoum and around the Presidential Palace.
The military has been attempting to retake the site as part of an offensive launched months ago.
The Sudanese army has recently claimed it is “on the verge of liberating” the palace, as RSF fighters reportedly withdraw and flee south, where government forces have carried out ambushes.
UN reports civilian casualties amid escalating violence
The United Nations Office for Human Rights reported Thursday that dozens of civilians have been killed in artillery and airstrikes in Khartoum and neighboring Omduman, as violence surges in the capital’s metropolitan area.
Sin Mar. 12, RSD and allied militias have looted numerous homes in eastern Khartoum, carrying out summary executions and arbitrary detentions, UN spokesperson Seif Magango stated.
Meanwhile, the Sudanese army has also been accused of looting and other criminal activities in government-controlled areas, including northern Khartoum and the East Nile district on the city’s outskirts.
The war, now nearing its second year, has claimed tens of thousands of lives, possibly up to 150,000, according to some estimates, and displaced more than 12 million people internally. EFE
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