Sudanese army claims control of presidential palace and ministries

The Sudanese army announced today, March 21, that it had taken control of ministries and the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum, according to Reuters.

This is one of the key developments in the two-year conflict between the Sudanese army (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Reuters, citing sources, said the SAF is conducting searches in the areas around the presidential palace in pursuit of RSF members. RSF has not yet commented.

The Sudanese army headquarters building still has traces of shelling in the capital Khartoum on January 26.

Witnesses told Reuters there was scattered gunfire in several central areas of the capital Khartoum.

The RSF briefly took control of the presidential palace and most of the capital when fighting broke out in April 2023, but the SAF has in recent months returned and gradually advanced towards the presidential palace along the Nile.

This year, the RSF began forming a parallel government and now maintains control of parts of Khartoum and the neighboring city of Omdurman, as well as western Sudan, where the RSF is fighting for control of the SAF's last stronghold in the city of Al Fashir.

Taking control of the capital could accelerate the SAF’s full takeover of central Sudan and deepen the country’s east-west territorial divide between the SAF and RSF. Both sides have vowed to continue fighting and no peace talks have materialized, according to Reuters.

Fighting between the SAF and RSF has led to what the UN calls the world's largest humanitarian crisis, causing famine in some areas and disease outbreaks across Sudan. Both sides have been accused of war crimes, and the RSF has even been accused of genocide. Both sides deny the allegations.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/quan-doi-sudan-tuyen-bo-kiem-soat-dinh-tong-thong-va-cac-bo-185250321142850108.htm