Sudan army within 500m of Republican Palace, battles in North Darfur and North Kordofan

Fierce battles continue across Sudan as the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) pushes deeper into Khartoum, closing in on the Republican Palace amid clashes in North Darfur and North Kordofan. Civilians remain caught in the violence, with dozens killed and detained over the past week.

The SAF has advanced to within 500 metres of the Republican Palace, nearly two years after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized it. Military sources told AFP today, that troops destroyed an RSF convoy of 30 vehicles retreating south.

The offensive aims to reclaim Greater Khartoum, lost to the RSF early in the war, which erupted in April 2023.

On Monday, troops advancing from the south linked up with army units in the city centre. Explosions and gunfire echoed as fighting intensified.

Eyewitnesses report battles along El Qasr and El Jamaa streets. Troops have taken the El Fadil Hospital building on Doctors’ Street, 1.2km south of the palace, and advanced towards the Foreign Ministry.

Civilian deaths and detentions

A local emergency group reported 50 civilian deaths, including 10 volunteers, in Khartoum locality last week, with 82 detained by the RSF and allied militias.

Emergency groups providing aid say their work is obstructed by both warring parties, with volunteers facing killings, detentions, and torture.

In Nasser Square (sometimes referred to as Nasser Extension), resistance committees confirmed five women were killed in a drone strike. RSF forces continue to blockade the besieged area.

Sudanese police have expanded into Khartoum North (Khartoum Bahri) and Sharg El Nile (East Nile), with Attorney General El Fateh Taifour Eisa announcing prosecutors and courts will be deployed soon to “uphold the rule of law.”

Villages burned

In North Darfur yesterday, the SAF’s 6th Infantry Division said an RSF commander, and 15 fighters were killed in an airstrike targeting an RSF unit infiltrating the capital, El Fasher. Drones also destroyed an RSF supply truck. El Fasher came under RSF shelling on Tuesday, damaging homes and schools.

Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab reported that the RSF burned at least 18 villages in El Fasher, Tawila, Dar Es Salaam, and Kelemando between 19 February and 16 March, displacing civilians and destroying livelihoods.

In North Kordofan, El Obeid saw a fragile calm after weeks of RSF bombardment. Witnesses reported no fresh shelling on Wednesday.

In West Kordofan, El Fula faces an unprecedented influx of displaced people. Activists report dire conditions and a lack of aid.