Khartoum residents welcome army soldiers who reclaimed area from RSF

Residents of an area that lies about 40 kilometres south of Khartoum welcomed army soldiers who reclaimed the area from the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group.

Allafah neighbourhood is home to the now destroyed Allafah market, one of the biggest markets in the area.

People there said on Thursday that they had been living in fear and were happy to see army soldiers.

"We were living a life without life. We ate and drank, but we did not feel alive in all aspects," said lawyer Burai Abdel Moneim, a resident of the area.

The war in Sudan that started in April 2023 has wrecked the capital, and other urban cities across the country.

It has killed more than 28,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes.

"Thank God, the army has come to us. We are happy, we went out to cheer and praise God. We couldn't believe the army had arrived because we had lived through an extremely difficult state," said Nawal Abdul Aziz, another resident.

Sudan’s army said on Wednesday it had recaptured Khartoum’s international airport, and the military chief flew back to the capital for the first time in nearly two years of war, bringing the military closer to regaining full control of the city from the rival RSF.

Sudan’s military on Saturday consolidated its grip on the capital, retaking more key government buildings a day after it gained control of the Republican Palace.

The RSF is still believed to hold scattered positions in Khartoum, and the government had not yet declared full victory in the city.