El Burhan rallies troops in Khartoum, Omdurman amid clashes in Sudan capital

SAF Commander-in-Chief, Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, visited and addressed SAF troops in Khartoum and Omdurman yesterday, in a rare visit to the area since a de facto ‘alternative capital’ was established in Port Sudan after the outbreak of hostilities between the SAF and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April.

El Burhan’s visit to troops in Karari in Khartoum and Wadi Sedna in Omdurman, televised by the state-run Sudan TV, follows a week of significant losses by the SAF against RSF attacks in South and Central Darfur, and West Kordofan.

In his addresses to troops, El Burhan downplayed reports of RSF gains, and the defection of SAF members to the RSF, and accused the RSF of staging attacks despite the ongoing peace talks in Saudi Arabia, saying the military would “fight on”, the official Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reports.

El Burhan emphasised that the SAF “is committed to talks in Jeddah to end the war.

During El Burhan’s visit, several warplanes were reported flying over Khartoum. Jebel Aulia in southern Khartoum witnessed fierce clashes between the RSF and SAF yesterday afternoon.

A resident of Jebel Aulia told Radio Dabanga that clashes with light and heavy weapons took place in the northern part of the locality. Callers say that the RSF fired tear gas shells towards the area on Monday evening.

In Khartoum North (Khartoum Bahri), the Halfaya Emergency Room stated that two people were killed in the past two days in Um Dereiwa, one by a shell and the other by gunshot wounds.

Other sources reported shelling in several neighbourhoods of Sharg El Nil in Khartoum North on Monday.

In northern Omdurman, the army at Karari military base continued to shell RSF targets late Monday evening and yesterday morning. A listener told Radio Dabanga that drones were spotted over Karari.

He also said that Karari received many people who fled their homes in El Fitihab and El Salha in southeast Omdurman.

Other sources reported clashes in the western neighbourhoods in Omdurman yesterday.

‘Temporary capital’

Immediately following the outbreak of hostilities in April, El Burhan reportedly took command of operations from a bunker at the SAF Command HQ in Khartoum.

Shortly afterwards, the SAF High Command, most Sudanese ministries, foreign ambassies, UN agencies, and organisations moved to temporary offices in Port Sudan, capital of Red Sea state, which has become a de facto ad interim capital.

RSF gains

Radio Dabanga reported last week that the RSF have taken full control of the major base of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) 16th Infantry Division in Nyala, capital of South Darfur, after fierce clashes that lasted for three days. The SAF said in a statement that it had made a tactical withdrawal from Nyala facing logistical supply issues.

As reported by Radio Dabanga earlier today, the RSF announced its withdrawal from the Balila oilfield and airport in West Kordofan on Monday evening, hours after it took control of the area.

In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), the RSF said that its forces evacuated the oilfield and its airport in Balila in Es Salam and “are now stationed at their camps”. The paramilitary forces called on the companies and workers in the area to resume their operations.

An RSF unit took control the Balila oilfield and airport early on Monday morning. At least 16 people “wearing military uniforms” were killed. A listener living near the oilfield told Radio Dabanga that the SAF “did a lot of damage” to Balila Airport following RSF withdrawal from the area.