Sudan’s Army retakes Republican Palace amid ongoing conflict

Sudan's Army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan attended the funeral on Friday of a Sudanese journalist who was killed during a drone attack believed to have been launched by the Rapid Support Forces. The attack reportedly killed troops and journalists with Sudanese state television.

Sudan’s military on Friday retook the Republican Palace in Khartoum, the last heavily guarded bastion of rival paramilitary forces in the capital, after nearly two years of fighting. "During this holy month, our troops are advancing in steady steps to continue liberating Sudan. We promise the Sudanese people that we are moving forward, this battle won't stop. Our continuity and spirit come from you, the Sudanese people," Burhan told supporters in Gezira province on Friday.

The seizure of the Republican Palace, surrounded by government ministries, was a major symbolic victory for Sudan's military against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces — though it likely doesn't mean the end of the war as the RSF holds territory in Sudan's western Darfur region and elsewhere. "We offer our condolences to you and to ourselves. And with God’s will, soon, with the sacrifices of these heroic people, we will reap its fruits by seeing Sudan empty and clean from any rebellion and from anyone who wants bad for our people,” Burhan said.

Sudan, a nation in northeastern Africa, has been unstable since a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in 2019. A short-lived transition to democracy was derailed when Burhan and Dagalo led a military coup in 2021. The RSF and Sudan’s military began fighting each other in 2023. Since the start of the year, Burhan’s forces, including Sudan’s military and allied militias, have advanced against the RSF. They retook a key refinery north of Khartoum and pushed in on RSF positions around Khartoum itself. The fighting has led to an increase in civilian casualties.