The Sudanese army has surrounded Khartoum airport and nearby areas, marking another significant development in the ongoing two-year conflict with the rival armed group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
In recent days, the army has made considerable gains, including seizing the presidential palace in downtown Khartoum on Friday, an important milestone in a war that threatens to split the nation. The army, which had long been on the defensive, has regained territory from the RSF in central Sudan.
Meanwhile, the RSF forces have stationed themselves in southern Khartoum, preparing for a withdrawal across the bridges to Omdurman, according to witnesses. The United Nations has described the situation in Sudan as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with widespread famine and disease affecting the country’s 50 million people.
The war, which erupted two years ago while Sudan was on the brink of transitioning to democratic rule, follows the ousting of former president Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Initially allied, the Sudanese army and RSF, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), respectively, have been at odds ever since, with tensions escalating over power and control.
The conflict continues to destabilise the region, with the humanitarian toll growing each day.
