Egypt Daily News – The Sudanese army announced that it has recaptured the presidential palace in Khartoum, which was considered the last stronghold of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the capital. Videos circulating on social media showed army soldiers inside the palace, marking the date as the 21st of Ramadan, which fell on a Friday.
The palace appeared to be in a state of partial destruction, with the sounds of soldiers’ footsteps crushing broken tiles under their boots. The soldiers, carrying assault rifles and rocket launchers, chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is the Greatest).
Sudanese Minister of Information Khaled Al-Ayesar confirmed the army’s takeover of the palace in a post on the social media platform X, stating:
“Today, the flag was raised, the palace was reclaimed, and the journey continues until victory is complete.”
The fall of the Republican Palace—a Nile-side complex that once served as the government headquarters and is depicted on Sudanese banknotes and stamps—marks another battlefield gain for the Sudanese army. The army, led by its commander-in-chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has made steady advances in recent months.
This development means that the rival Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), have been expelled from Khartoum after the war in Sudan began in April 2023.
However, the RSF did not immediately acknowledge its loss, which is unlikely to end the conflict, as the group and its allies still control territories in other parts of Sudan. The head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has described the conflict as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The war has claimed over 28,000 lives, displaced millions, and forced some families to eat grass in a desperate attempt to survive amid famine spreading across parts of the country. Other estimates suggest the death toll is even higher.
The Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces also stated on Friday that they are still present around the presidential palace in Khartoum and that the battle with the Sudanese army is not over.
In a statement, they declared:
“We confirm that the battle for the Republican Palace is not over yet, and our brave forces remain in the vicinity, fighting courageously and persistently to liberate all sites.”
The RSF also claimed to have killed 89 people in the battle for the palace. After four consecutive days of fighting, the Sudanese army managed to enter the Republican Palace through the eastern gate
