Khartoum (EFE).- Sudan’s army chief Abdelfatah al-Burhan entered Khartoum’s presidential palace on Wednesday for the first time in nearly two years, surrounded by soldiers and shouts of victory, declaring the capital “liberated” from the paramilitary Rapid Forces after a violent six-month offensive.
The 65-year-old military officer told the media television that the battle for control of the capital was finally over and confirmed that “now Khartoum is free” after driving out the paramilitaries.
A six-month offensive
Wednesday’s recapture of the capital was preceded by several key advances: the army took control of Khartoum’s international airport and the last RSF strongholds in the city, which had set up barracks in civilian homes to shelter from air strikes.
It marked the end of a six-month offensive that had turned Khartoum into one of the world’s most dangerous battlefields, with clashes involving civilians who were either deliberately killed or caught in the crossfire.
Khartoum’s retake began after the army seized the state of al-Jazeera in early January, allowing government troops to advance south toward the capital.
They reinforced the fronts west and north of the capital, partially encircling the paramilitaries with the option of allowing rebel forces to flee to the southeast and minimize the damage.
For months, several humanitarian organizations and local groups claimed that the RSF have been carrying out acts of revenge against the few remaining civilians in Khartoum, including executions, torture, rape, and other war crimes, which have come to light with the discovery of hundreds of mass graves and bodies in the streets.
Activist groups also denounced the army’s indiscriminate shelling of several residential areas in the capital, attacks that have left hundreds dead within just a few weeks.
Khartoum, a reflection of a Sudan in ruins
Sudan’s war broke out on Apr. 15, 2023, over a power struggle between al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (also known as Hemedti) following talks to integrate paramilitaries into the regular army.
With the of local militias and alleged logistical and arms aid from countries such as the United Arab Emirates, the RSF managed to control Khartoum, much of southern Sudan, and the western region of Darfur, now the last paramilitary stronghold.
According to the United Nations, Sudan has the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, as health and education systems have collapsed.
Most of the country’s markets have been looted and bombed, public institutions have closed their doors, and foreign diplomatic missions have been forced to evacuate their staff.
The UN estimates that half of Sudan’s population (some 24.6 million people) faces acute food insecurity, as 3.2 million children are expected to be acutely malnourished by 2025.
Schools have also stopped operating, leaving some 17 million children with no education. Meanwhile, cholera and other infectious diseases have spread at a staggering rate due to the lack of utilities and sanitation in the country.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), over 12.5 million Sudanese have been forced to flee their homes since the outbreak of violence, including 3.7 million who have sought refuge in other neighboring countries, meaning that almost a third of the population has been displaced by the war.
On Wednesday, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) called for an “immediate” cessation of hostilities and an “urgent” dialogue between the country’s leaders to avoid a “relapse into civil war.”
“To prevent a relapse into civil war, the Parties must recommit to the Revitalized Peace Agreement by ceasing all hostilities and strictly adhering to the ceasefire, resolving grievances through dialogue, and reconvening as a truly unified government,” UNMISS chief Nicholas Haysom said in a statement. EFE
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