The Sudanese army announced on Thursday evening that its forces have “cleansed” the last pockets of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum Governorate.
The army stated in a release: “Our forces today have forcefully and capably cleansed the last pockets of the terrorist RSF militia in Khartoum locality.”
The statement noted that “the RSF militia is spreading rumors about its withdrawal from Khartoum as a result of an agreement with the Sudanese government,” which it denied.
It added: “This is exposed by their shameful flight before our victorious forces and their abandonment of their dead and equipment on the battlefields in various locations.”
The RSF did not immediately comment on the Sudanese army’s statement.
Khartoum city consists of two localities (governorates) “Khartoum and Jebel Awlia,” with Khartoum Governorate including central Khartoum and southern and eastern neighborhoods, while Jebel Awlia Governorate includes neighborhoods and areas in the far southwest of Khartoum.
On Wednesday, the Sudanese army continued its advance in Khartoum and regained control of the airport, security and military headquarters, and several neighborhoods east and south of the capital, for the first time since April 2023.
In recent days, the army has imposed control over most ministry buildings and government and private institutions in central Khartoum and the Mogran area.
In the same context, the United Nations said Thursday that it is “closely monitoring the situation in the capital Khartoum,” expressing “concern about retaliatory actions against civilians.”
The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs reported that it is “closely following the situation in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, in light of recent shifts in effective control of the city.”
It added that it “continues to receive disturbing reports of retaliatory actions by armed groups against civilians.”
The UN office stressed that civilians “are not targets, and all parties must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.”
It added: “Serious violations should be investigated, and perpetrators held accountable.”
For its part, the World Food Programme said that “1,200 metric tons of food and nutrition assistance were distributed on Thursday to about 100,000 people in the cities of Bahri and Omdurman.”
It noted that these are the first WFP aid trucks to reach these areas inside Khartoum since the start of the latest round of hostilities (without specifying a date).
The army and RSF have been waging a war since April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced about 15 million others, according to the UN and local authorities, while a study by American universities estimated the death toll at about 130,000.
Recently, the pace of RSF retreat has accelerated in several states, including Khartoum, Al Jazeera, White Nile, North Kordofan, Sennar and Blue Nile, according to Anadolu’s correspondent.
Out of 18 states, the RSF only controls pockets west and south of Omdurman city west of Khartoum, parts of North Kordofan and West Kordofan states, along with 4 states in Darfur region (west).
Source: Anadolu Agency
