Sudanese army declares capital ‘free’ (VIDEO)
Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) chief and de facto leader of the African country, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has declared Khartoum “free” after his soldiers recaptured the international airport in the war-torn capital from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Gen. Al-Burhan made the announcement on Wednesday from the presidential palace, which the army reclaimed from RSF fighters last Friday. It is said to be the leader’s first visit to the presidential palace since the battle for control of Sudan began nearly two years ago.
“Khartoum is free, it’s done,” he said, to cheers from the soldiers who had surrounded him, according to BBC reports.
The Sudanese army shared a video of Gen. Burhan with a caption that he had landed at Khartoum Airport on “the first flight received by the airport since the start of the war” in mid-April 2023.
In separate statements, the ruling sovereign council and the SAF said the army chief had toured Khartoum Airport and the Republican Palace following the liberation of the areas.
The fighting between the RSF and SAF erupted over a plan to transition the country to civilian rule. Tens of thousands of people have since been killed in the hostilities. The UN human rights office says the conflict has triggered the world’s largest displacement crisis, with half the Sudanese population facing acute food insecurity.
In February, the paramilitary group signed a charter with allied political and armed groups to establish a “government of peace and unity” in the conflict-torn country. It came just weeks after Gen. Burhan announced his intention to form a “caretaker” or “wartime” government.
The militia’s plan has triggered widespread concern, with the African Union and the UN Security Council warning that forming a parallel government risks partitioning the country.
Earlier on Wednesday, the army and its allies launched the largest ground military offensive in Khartoum, capturing military and civilian facilities in the city that had previously been held by RSF fighters, according to local media.
The SAF released drone footage of people it claims are members of the RSF fleeing across a bridge over the Jebel Awlia dam south of Khartoum, reportedly toward the west of the country.
