Heavy fighting continues around Khartoum army base

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Heavy clashes continue around a strategic army base in the Sudanese capital Khartoum as the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fight amid raging conflict.

For the consecutive second day, paramilitary units launched an assault on the primary military facility of the Armoured Corps, covering an expanse of approximately 20 kilometres. This location houses three tank battalions, two mechanized infantry brigades, and one mechanized infantry battalion.

In the afternoon of Monday, forces commanded by Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, also known as “Hemetti,” declared that they had successfully breached the army’s defence lines. They released videos depicting their troops inside a warehouse containing armoured vehicles and machine guns. Additional footage exhibited RSF fighters asserting their presence within the base.

Contrastingly, the Sudanese army unveiled videos featuring their soldiers, claiming to be in pursuit of RSF elements that had attacked their base. The Army’s spokesperson further stated that they had thwarted the second RSF attack, with their forces now engaged in the pursuit of the “fleeing militia remnants.”

“The enemy, having suffered severe retribution from our forces and sustaining substantial losses in terms of personnel, vehicles, equipment, and weaponry, has been defeated,” said the military statement.

While the Sudanese army maintains control over all its outlying garrisons, including those in the Darfur region, the RSF targeted the army’s headquarters in Khartoum. The central command remains partially under the army control, with Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan still present there.

The significance of the armoured corps for the RSF is profound, as it forms the nucleus of the SAF’s infantry forces. Capturing this military base would also grant them control over a vital bridge connecting Khartoum and northern Omdurman, where the Logistic Army is stationed.

Conversely, the rival paramilitary forces assert that they have gained dominion over substantial portions of the military compound, though they have not provided detailed specifics.

The RSF statement further said they killed 260 army troops and confiscated a substantial array of military equipment, weaponry, and ammunition, including 34 armoured vehicles and tanks, 12 artillery pieces, and 78 vehicles.

Negotiations in Jeddah between the conflicting factions have stagnated, revolving around the withdrawal of RSF fighters from Khartoum. The Sudanese army insists they relocate to cantonment sites outside the state, while the paramilitary forces demand the restoration of their camps within Khartoum.

Beyond the issue of gathering sites, the RSF aims to secure a political role for its leaders, whose reputations have suffered due to their involvement in atrocities and human rights violations against civilians.