Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, declared Khartoum state “liberated” from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Wednesday, shortly after landing at the capital’s international airport for the first time in two years.
Early Wednesday morning, March 26, the army and its supporting forces carried out the largest ground military offensive in Khartoum state, capturing military and civilian sites and expanding into most of the capital’s neighbourhoods following a widespread flight of RSF elements.
RSF elements departed most of the Khartoum cities they had occupied, withdrawing towards the west of the country. The force’s vehicles and soldiers congested the Jebel Aulia bridge south of Khartoum during an escape journey documented by army drone footage.
Sudan military leader announces capture of capital Khartoum from rebels
Residents of southern Khartoum celebrated the arrival of army forces into neighbourhoods previously under RSF control, with citizens seen chanting for the army in areas like Sahafa, Kalakla, and Gereif.
Sudanese Army Spokesperson Nabil Abdallah said in a statement, “The Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, inspected our deployed forces at Khartoum International Airport today, and also inspected the forces at the Republican Palace.”
He explained that Burhan’s plane was the first flight the airport had received since the war broke out on April 15, 2023.
The RSF had seized control of Khartoum International Airport on the first day of the war before the army recaptured it on Wednesday along with other sites in the capital.