Sudan's army retakes control of presidential palace after two years

Two years after the outbreak of conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese army has fully regained control of the Presidential Palace in Khartoum. The Presidential Palace had previously been occupied by the Rapid Support Forces, marking a significant shift in the conflict dynamics.

After days of advancement along the Blue Nile, the government, loyal to the military, announced on Friday that it had retaken the Presidential Palace. Sudan's Information Minister, Khaled Al-Eysel, wrote on social media platform X: "Today, the flag is raised again, and the Presidential Palace returns, while the journey to complete victory continues." Videos posted on social media showed armed forces soldiers celebrating inside the Presidential Palace, signifying a morale boost for the army.

The Rapid Support Forces seized the Presidential Palace and large areas of the capital in April 2023, triggering the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces. This forced the government, led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, to flee to Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast. The Presidential Palace complex consists of two buildings: an Ottoman-Egyptian Republican Palace built in 1825, and a larger building built in 2015 by former head of state Omar al-Bashir. The older building holds great symbolic significance as it was the site where followers of Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah killed British Major-General Charles George Gordon on the steps of the Republican Palace in 1885.

Sudan researcher and political analyst Jihad Mashamoun stated that the victory at the Presidential Palace paves the way for further army advances in the capital, "and encourages the army to mainly entrust the conflict in the Darfur region to allied armed forces." Mashamoun told Middle East Eye: "It also enables Burhan's de facto government to establish its position as the legitimate government of Sudan to the international community." A Sudanese military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that hours after the Presidential Palace was retaken, the Rapid Support Forces launched a drone attack on the Presidential Palace, killing three journalists. The journalists were reporting for Sudanese national television when the attacking drone targeted the location.

The Rapid Support Forces stated that they are still near the Presidential Palace and that the fighting is "not over yet." In recent months, the Sudanese army has made key advances in central Sudan, retaking large swathes of territory from the paramilitary forces. However, the Rapid Support Forces have consolidated their control over the western Darfur region and have been accused of committing acts of genocide in the region. A report released last year by the Raoul Wallenberg Centre concluded that the Rapid Support Forces and its allied militias are committing genocide against non-Arab ethnic groups in Darfur. The United States has also accused the Rapid Support Forces of committing genocide and has sanctioned its leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (commonly known as Hemedti), while Burhan has also faced sanctions.

Last month, Rapid Support Forces leaders announced at a meeting in Kenya that the group would establish a parallel government. The group is reportedly backed by the United Arab Emirates. Mashamoun stated that the army's progress in Khartoum will "further disintegrate some of the political parties that allied with the Rapid Support Forces and signed a charter to form a parallel government." He also added that this would undermine the Rapid Support Forces' attempts to "position itself as a partner with the de facto government in any transitional period." There are concerns that this rival government could lead to a so-called "Libyan situation," in which Sudan is divided into two or more distinct entities, further destabilizing the region.

The ongoing two-year conflict has displaced more than 10 million people and left more than 12 million people facing acute levels of food insecurity. Thousands of lives have been lost, underscoring the devastating humanitarian impact of the conflict.