Sudanese Army Regains Control of Presidential Palace as Civil War Escalates
On Friday, Sudanese army soldiers regained control of the presidential palace in Khartoum, the capital of the country. This palace, considered the seat of government, had been under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, since April 2023. The RSF's takeover marked a significant escalation in the civil war that has since claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions, and triggered a severe famine in the region.
The recapture of the presidential palace signifies an important advance for the Sudanese army, which has been steadily reclaiming territory over the past few months and turning the tide of battle in its favor.
This civil war, ongoing for almost two years, erupted in April 2023 due to political tensions between two military leaders: General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. Both men were part of a military junta, the Sovereign Council, which had been governing the country since a coup in October 2021. In December 2022, amid international pressure, Burhan and Hemedti tentatively agreed to a democratic transition, but persistent disagreements led to significant divisions. Burhan aimed to integrate the RSF into the Sudanese army, while Hemedti opposed this directive, leading to his assault on Khartoum.
During this offensive, the RSF efficiently took control of the presidential palace, which has now been retaken by the army. Although the RSF has yet to confirm the loss of the palace, verified videos confirm army presence within the complex, corroborated by reports from the Sudanese Minister of Information, who represents the regular army's government.
For over six months, the Sudanese army has been working to regain full control of Khartoum. So far, it has successfully recaptured large areas to the north and east, but significant parts of the city are still under RSF control. Many of the reclaimed neighborhoods lie abandoned or in ruins, with reports of extensive looting. Local residents relayed to the New York Times that RSF fighters began demanding money from civilians, threatening violence against those who did not comply before vacating these areas.
The population of Khartoum has reportedly plummeted from 8 million to approximately 2 million as a direct consequence of the ongoing fighting, with many displaced individuals existing in camps on the city's outskirts.
Conflict persists throughout various regions, far beyond Khartoum. The city of Al Fashir, located in northern Darfur, has been under siege by the RSF for nearly a year but remains under army control. Recently, the RSF claimed to have taken the city of Al Malha, situated 200 kilometers away near the borders of Chad and Libya; however, the army confirmed that fighting in the area was ongoing and did not acknowledge the loss of the city.
In the early year and a half of the conflict, the RSF initially secured several substantial victories against the army. However, since early 2025, the army has regained considerable ground, aided by additional militias. A mid-February agreement between the RSF and representatives of various rebel factions tried to establish a parallel government in territories they control, yet this initiative has yielded little to no progress thus far.
The ongoing civil war is unleashing a humanitarian disaster in Sudan. Reports suggest that over 26,000 people have been killed, with some estimates exceeding 60,000. Moreover, more than 10 million individuals have been forced from their homes due to the fighting. Both the Sudanese army and the RSF are criticized for indiscriminately bombing civilian areas and obstructing humanitarian aid efforts. As a result, parts of the country face severe famine, with UNICEF recently estimating that over 700,000 children are at risk of starving.
In this conflict, as in many others throughout history, sexual violence and rape have emerged as weapons of war used to intimidate and subjugate the population, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation.
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