Sudanese Government Forces Attempt to Retake Capital from Rebel Forces

Sudanese Government Forces Attempt to Retake Capital Khartoum
Burhan Government Forces General Speaks Before UN Address
RSF Controls Most of Khartoum

General Abdel Fattah Burhan, the head of the Sudanese government forces, is speaking at the United Nations General Assembly held in New York, USA, on the 26th.
[Photo by UPI Yonhap News]

The Sudanese government forces launched large-scale shelling and airstrikes in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, in an effort to retake the capital.

Major foreign media reported on the 26th (local time) that the Sudanese government forces carried out airstrikes to reclaim Khartoum from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This occurred just before General Abdel Fattah Burhan, the head of the Sudanese military, was scheduled to deliver a speech at the United Nations General Assembly held in New York, USA.

The Sudanese government forces lost most of Khartoum to the RSF at the beginning of the Sudanese civil war on April 15 last year. Although the government forces recaptured part of Omdurman, a satellite city of Khartoum, earlier this year, most of Khartoum remains under RSF control.

According to witnesses, intense clashes broke out between the government forces and the RSF as the government troops crossed a bridge connecting Khartoum and nearby cities.

A government military source said, "Army troops crossed the bridge," but the RSF stated, "We repelled the government forces' attempt to cross the bridge."

In his speech at the UN General Assembly that day, General Burhan defined the RSF as rebels. He said, "If the rebels lay down their arms and withdraw from occupied areas, the conflict can be resolved peacefully." He also claimed, "There are countries providing funds, weapons, and mercenaries to the rebels," adding, "Such support must stop immediately as the government forces are the only legitimate military in Sudan."

According to foreign media reports, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the RSF, delivered a voice message immediately after General Burhan's speech, stating, "We are ready to implement a ceasefire with the government forces and provide humanitarian aid."

Since the armed clashes between the government forces and the RSF last year, Sudan has faced a humanitarian crisis compounded not only by the bloodshed but also by recent famine and floods. The conflict between the two sides has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths nationwide, and the number of displaced persons has exceeded 13 million.