*Palace had been under RSF control since the outbreak of the war*
*Fears of reprisal attacks as SAF expands areas of control*
*Water supply in Zamzam camp devastated by RSF blockade*
FRI 21 MAR -- The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have retaken the Presidential Palace from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following days of clashes in central Khartoum. Footage broadcast on Sudanese state television appeared to show scores of SAF soldiers celebrating in the halls of the palace and on the steps outside. Large amounts of debris and damage to the building could also be seen.
Recent weeks have seen the SAF gaining territory around central Khartoum and the palace itself, which had been held by the RSF since the start of the conflict in April 2023. The army said in a statement on Friday morning its forces had “crowned their successes” by taking the palace and described it as a “symbol of the sovereignty and dignity of the Sudanese nation”. It also claimed to have taken the surrounding ministry buildings and to have seized “large quantities of [the RSF’s] equipment and weapons”.
Shortly after the palace fell, the building was targeted by RSF drones, with a number of people killed or injured, Al Jazeera reported. Sudan’s ministry of culture, Khalid Ali, said in a statement that among those killed were a producer, cameraman, and driver for Sudanese state television.
In a statement on Telegram on Friday morning, the RSF claimed that the battle for the palace was “not over yet”, adding that its “valiant forces are still present in the vicinity” and would “continue the fight”.
Al-Arabiya reports that, as the palace fell, the RSF still had 500 to 750 soldiers inside, and that approximately 40 four-wheel drives carrying around 10 people each were able to flee to the El Mogran area, and the adjacent campuses of Sudan and Neelain universities, in the northwest of Khartoum. They were believed to be heading for RSF territory in west Omdurman, with some trying to flee across the Nile on boats, but were cut off by SAF forces.
Earlier this week, citing the Sudanese army, the BBC reported that the RSF’s senior leadership was believed to have already fled Khartoum and that only junior officers were left to oversee the fighting.
SAF intends to use the palace as a military base to target the RSF forces still left in the city, Al Arabiya reports. There is also expected to be a ceremony to raise the Sudanese flag inside the building attended by a senior government figure in the coming days.
Khartoum is more than 650km inland from SAF’s current command hub, Port Sudan. Control of the city is widely expected to help SAF assert itself as the legitimate authority in Sudan and to mount operations against the RSF in the west of the country.
The fall of the palace followed days of fighting after SAF was able to tighten a siege on the capital and cut off RSF supply lines. Footage circulating on social media in the early hours of Thursday morning showed fires burning in the streets, projectiles in the sky, and heavy exchanges of gunfire.
The UN has called for greater steps to protect civilians following reports of dozens of deaths in bombardment by both the RSF and SAF in eastern Khartoum and north Omdurman over the last week. It said credible reports suggested the RSF and allied militia had “raided homes in eastern Khartoum, carrying out summary killings and arbitrary detentions, and looted food and medical supplies from community kitchens and medical clinics”. It said there had also been allegations of sexual violence.
It added that SAF and its affiliates had reportedly “engaged in looting and other criminal activities in areas they control in Khartoum North (Bahri) and East Nile” and that “widespread arbitrary arrests are ongoing in East Nile”.
For our Voices from the Ground segment below, a journalist speaking from Omburman on Thursday told us the “streets are very militarized, with SAF forces everywhere”. They also said that, over the previous few days, the city had come under “intense shelling”, usually from RSF-controlled areas and “always targeting open spaces with many civilians”.
Concerns have also been raised that, as it retakes areas, SAF will carry out reprisal attacks against people accused of supporting or cooperating with the RSF. In January, footage verified by the Centre for Information Resilience showed SAF forces perpetrating a series of retaliatory attacks on civilians after taking control of Wad Madani, the capital of Gezira state, and the surrounding area.
Volunteers at an Emergency Response Room in southern Khartoum told the Ayin Network that such attacks often target young people volunteering in health centres and community kitchens. “Civlians fear what might happen to them, and worry about a similar fate,” one said. “Most youth have ceased to participate in volunteering. They’re afraid.”
In Darfur, in the west of Sudan, the RSF has gained full control of the roads around Zamzam, Sudan’s largest camp for internally displaced people (IDPs), and imposed a blockade, according to local aid workers. The camp was already facing catastrophic humanitarian conditions, but the development has had particular consequences for the water supply.
Fuel shortages, combined with the security situation, have prevented aid agencies from trucking water into the camp, while diesel-powered infrastructure, including boreholes, is now unable to run. Some solar-powered systems are still operating, but people are having to wait up to two days to fill a single container of water.
The lack of access has also pushed the price of basic foods further up. Pictures from Zamzam, as well as the nearby Abu Shouk camp, both of which have been declared to be in famine, showed multiple infants suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
The blockade has cut off access to Saudi hospital in nearby El Fasher, the only facility in the area able to provide trauma care. Anyone with serious injuries now has nowhere to go but one of the camp’s community-run Emergency Response Rooms (ERR), which face severe shortages of basic medical supplies.
As well as shelling in the area, unexploded ordnance poses a danger to civilians. One child was reportedly killed and four were seriously injured after finding a grenade and accidentally triggering a blast. Graphic pictures from the aftermath of the incident showed a baby with its face covered in blood and much of the skin missing from its hand.
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that, despite the situation, the clashes in and around El Fasher were forcing thousands of people to flee to Zamzam. “We continue to call for an immediate cessation of hostilities across Sudan and full, unhindered humanitarian access to ensure lifesaving aid reaches those most in need,” it said.
Aid workers also said RSF forces were massing close to El Fasher and Zamzam, raising concerns of a renewed attempt to take El Fasher.
Interviews available on request
Avaaz is in contact with human rights defenders, civilians, and Emergency Response Room (ERRs) volunteers across Sudan. If you would like to be connected with people on the ground, please reach out to: media@avaaz.org
Names have been changed due to safety concerns.
A journalist speaking to Avaaz from Omdurman on Thursday said the city had come under “intensive shelling” over the previous three days.
“The shelling always targets open spaces with many civilians,” they said. “It usually comes from the area of west Omdurman and Libya market, where RSF is situated. RSF is also positioned in north Omdurman where they cover the area all the way to Jebel Aulia.
“The streets are very militarized, with SAF forces everywhere. There are some attempts to prepare for Eid, but not many. The economic situation is dire, with a very limited number of people capable of going to the market and getting supplies. There are many returnees, people who came back after fleeing Khartoum at the start of the war, but they are struggling with basic needs.
“I talked to women in Shambat who complained about not having electricity and water. The electricity stations were destroyed and looted, and a lot of areas in Bahri are suffering because of that. There is a bit of electricity in Omdurman, but we also have regular cuts.
“The returnees often have to suffer from the lack of services, but they are frequently forced to return due to the high cost of living in other cities like Port Sudan and Atbara. In the East Nile area, I have seen a lot of malnourished kids and mothers with severe cases of poisoning and dehydration linked to lack of food and panic. People in the East Nile fully depend on central kitchens and takaya, and you can feel the collective trauma in the air.
“In the recently-captured areas like East Nile, there is a heavy military presence and checkpoints on the streets. Movement is very limited, and soldiers often inquire about the reason for movement and destination. We have heard that there have been cases of misconduct by SAF soldiers, and now there are orders to mobilize the police in the streets to overcome that.
“There are a lot of bodies in the streets of East Nile. We witnessed the recovery of 15 bodies from a well in Al-Fayha neighborhood, and this is only the tip of the iceberg. The streets and houses are filled with bodies that in some cases get mauled by street dogs. There are some efforts to collect these bodies as everyone is talking about the infections and diseases that can spread because of these piles. The families whom we have met said that they were often instructed at gunpoint by the RSF not to bury these bodies, so they had to leave them.”
On Thursday, Avaaz held an online briefing about the impact of the US aid cuts on the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. The event was chaired by Shayna Lewis and featured Eiman Omer and Weam Shawgi from the Noon Feminist Movement, Essam Alzain from the Adeela youth organisation, and Mojeeb Alrahman from the Sudanese American Physicians Association. If you missed it, you can use passcode w!U4Ne?I to watch it in full here.
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The weekly dispatch features the latest developments, first-hand testimony, footage, photos, stats and analysis on Sudan. We can connect you with voices from the ground, experts and survivors of the war. To speak with Avaaz's Sudan team, email sudan@avaaz.org.
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The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is building an earthen wall around El Fasher to create a “kill box” and prevent civilians fleeing the besieged city, satellite imagery suggests.
People caught trying to smuggle food into the besieged city of El Fasher are being “executed on sight” by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to one civilian.
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