The Sudanese military announced on Wednesday that it has regained control of Khartoum airport from the Rapid Support Forces and encircled the paramilitary troops south of the capital, marking a recent gain in the conflict.
The military, engaged in combat with the RSF since April 2023, has “completely secured” the airport from the paramilitary fighters previously stationed there, according to spokesperson Nabil Abdallah in a statement to AFP.
This development follows accusations against the military of conducting one of the deadliest air strikes of the conflict on a market in the western region of Darfur, which resulted in numerous fatalities according to the United Nations, while witnesses reported counting 270 bodies buried.
After reclaiming the presidential palace in a significant victory last Friday, the military has advanced further into central Khartoum, seizing state institutions that the RSF had captured early in the conflict.
The bridge serves as the only escape route for the paramilitaries, connecting them to their positions west of the city and subsequently to their strongholds in Darfur. Throughout Khartoum, witnesses and activists have reported this week that RSF fighters are moving southward, apparently heading towards Jebel Awliya.
Since the onset of the conflict in April 2023, tens of thousands of individuals have lost their lives, more than 12 million have been displaced, and the situation has led to the world’s largest crises related to hunger and displacement.
Additionally, the conflict has split the nation into two factions, with the military controlling the east and north, while the RSF dominates nearly all of Darfur and parts of the south.
