Sudan Declares Capital City Free From RSF Rebels After Years of Civil War

Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, arrived at Khartoum’s presidential palace on Wednesday, declaring the capital "free" from the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after nearly two years of war.

“Khartoum is now free. It’s over,” Burhan told cheering troops in a televised address broadcast by Al Jazeera. His appearance at the palace, seized by the army last Friday, marked a symbolic victory in the protracted conflict that has split the country into rival zones of control.

Military Gains Momentum

The army also announced it had recaptured Khartoum International Airport and Tiba al-Hassanab camp, the RSF’s last major stronghold in central Sudan. Military sources said troops were consolidating control around the airport and surrounding areas, while witnesses reported RSF forces regrouping in southern Khartoum, possibly preparing to withdraw.

Drone footage released by the army showed scores of people crossing a dam, which it claimed depicted retreating RSF fighters. The fotage could not be verified, and the RSF did not immediately comment on Wednesday’s developments.

“This is a pivotal and decisive moment in Sudan’s history,” said Information Minister Khalid Aleiser, a spokesman for the military-led government. “Khartoum is free, as it should be.”

Despite the army’s advances, the conflict is far from over. The RSF still holds swaths of western Darfur and other territories, and the war has triggered what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Famine and disease outbreaks have ravaged the country, displacing 12.5 million people—many of whom have fled to neighboring nations.

The conflict erupted in April 2023, derailing Sudan’s fragile transition to democracy and plunging the nation into a brutal power struggle between the military and the RSF. While the army’s recent gains mark a turning point, the path to lasting peace remains uncertain.