Khartoum: The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) said on Wednesday it has controlled the Khartoum International Airport, which had been held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since mid-April 2023, as well as other strategic sites in the capital.
“We have taken control of Khartoum International Airport,” SAF operations commander in Khartoum Mohamed Abdul-Rahman Al-Belawi said, according to Al-Jazeera news channel.
“Ground units of the Sudanese army have successfully taken control of Khartoum International Airport and fully secured it,” a military source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, SAF spokesman Nabil Abdalla said in a statement that SAF forces “have seized control of the militia camp Taiba Al-Hasanab in Jabal Awliya city, which is the militia’s main camp and its last stronghold in Khartoum.”
The remaining presence of the RSF consists of scattered “small pockets,” which will be eliminated soon, he said.
In a separate statement on Wednesday, Abdalla said the SAF has also made progress in areas east of Khartoum, and seized control of the first infantry brigade headquarters in the Al-Bagair area on the border between the Khartoum and Gezira states.
The SAF and supporting forces have inflicted heavy losses on the RSF in both equipment and personnel, he said.
Furthermore, video footage shared by army soldiers on social media showed army units deployed along Al-Siteen Street, a key road connecting the eastern, southern, and central parts of Khartoum, Xinhua news agency reported.
Sudan has been embroiled in a conflict between the SAF and RSF since mid-April 2023.
On Thursday, the RSF announced that it had taken control of the Al-Malha area, which holds strategic significance due to its control over vital trade routes between Sudan and Libya, and which serves as a key crossroads leading to the capital of North Darfur State in western Sudan.
A day later, the SAF said it had regained control of the presidential palace in central Khartoum.
On Tuesday, the SAF released a map for the first time outlining its areas of control and RSF-held territory, as fighting between the two sides continues.
The map marked green areas under full SAF control, including Northern, River Nile, Red Sea, Kassala, Gedaref, Blue Nile, Gezira, and Sinnar states. RSF-controlled areas, including West, South, and East Darfur, were marked in red.
(IANS)
