Sudan’s military said its soldiers have recaptured the headquarters of the state broadcaster in Omdurman, the city just across the Nile from the capital, Khartoum.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had held the state broadcaster headquarters since just after the war broke out.
Videos being shared on social media show Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers celebrating outside the state radio and radio headquarters in Omdurman.
In a statement seen by Radio Tamazuj, the Sudanese army called it a “major victory”.
Ever since the war broke out, the army and the RSF have battled for control of Khartoum and the nearby cities. Despite the United Nations Security Council’s call for a cessation of hostilities during the holy month of Ramadan, heavy fighting has continued in several parts of Khartoum.
However, Dr. Ibrahim Mukhair, an advisor to RSF Commander-in-Chief Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, told Radio Tamazuj that they still control Khartoum and that the army attacked their positions in Omdurman while they were responding to calls for a ceasefire to mark the holy month of Ramadan.
“Our forces are in various military sites were repositioning themselves in preparation for a ceasefire due to international diplomatic pressure on Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his kidnapped government to reach a truce to distribute relief and allow freedom of movement for civilians,” he said. “Unfortunately, in Omdurman, during the repositioning, Al-Burhan’s forces betrayed our groups in and around the radio area, and the battles are continuing there. RSF warns the remnants of the armed forces and the terrorist writers allied with them that failure to adhere to the truce approved by the Security Council will have serious consequences and we will be forced to respond to them. This will cause losses that the army cannot compensate for.”
“RSF continues to extend its white hand for peace and draws the attention of the United Nations and the international community in general to the danger of these adventures undertaken by Al-Burhan,” Dr. Mukahir added.
He said their forces are still in complete control of Khartoum and other places.
Sudanese army routs RSF paramilitary in Omdurman
However, according to the Sudan War Monitor, after relieving the siege of the Corps of Engineers in central Omdurman in mid-February, the Sudanese army trapped hundreds or possibly thousands of RSF fighters in eastern neighborhoods of the city, an area known as Old Omdurman.
“The battle culminated today in an attempt by the RSF to break out of this pocket, which failed spectacularly, judging by videos of dozens of burning RSF vehicles, as well as bodies,” the Sudan War Monitor stated. “We geolocated the largest group of the destroyed vehicles to Al Arda Road, 300 meters west of Khalifa Square, and another group of vehicles 300 meters west of that, near the Al Tijani Mental Hospital. This is a road that leads west to RSF-controlled territory, and is where the original army breakthrough occurred linking up two wings of its attacking force, last month.”
Sudan was plunged into chaos in April of 2023 after fighting erupted between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) following weeks of tensions linked to plans for a return to civilian rule.
The two factions staged a coup in 2021 that derailed a previous transition following the 2019 overthrow of former President Omar al-Bashir.
As the conflict approaches its first anniversary in April, the UN estimates that at least 12,000 people have been killed, with local groups saying the true toll is likely to be much higher.
The conflict has sparked the world’s “largest displacement crisis” with over 8 million people – an estimated 15 percent of the Northeast African nation’s population – fleeing their homes. The UN warns “an unimaginable humanitarian crisis is unfolding”, the conflict threatening to trigger the “world’s largest hunger crisis.”
Several international and regional attempts to broker a cessation of hostilities have failed.