The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) announced on Sunday March 16 that its troops had made significant advances in central Khartoum, a statement contested by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
SAF spokesman Nabil Abdalla asserted that the military had achieved considerable success in the capital, claiming that forces from the Al-Shajara area, supported by armored vehicles, had expelled the RSF from several key locations south of central Khartoum, including the Family Club, the Al Mansheiya Bridge, the Nile Towers, and the Sherwani area.
However, the RSF denied the SAF’s assertions, with El Basha Tabig, advisor to RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, countering that the RSF had successfully “crushed and destroyed” the army forces in the Sherwani area, Nile Towers, and Al Mansheiya Bridge. The SAF is currently attempting to encircle RSF forces, which continue to control key sites in central Khartoum, such as the Presidential Palace and military installations in the Al-Mogran area. The army has coordinated efforts through three mobile forces advancing from Omdurman, East Nile, and the outskirts of Gezira state.
The ongoing conflict between the SAF and the RSF, which has raged since mid-April 2023, has devastated Sudan, claiming over 29,000 lives, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project. The violence has also forced over 15 million people to flee their homes, both within Sudan and across borders. On Saturday, RSF Commander Dagalo indicated that the RSF would not vacate central Khartoum, further escalating the conflict as he outlined the group’s evolving strategy following the formation of political and military alliances.