War rages on with foreign arms fueling both sides and over 8.8 million displaced, yet global coverage remains minimal
Sudanese government forces have retaken the presidential palace in central Khartoum. Those who have escaped the capital describe widespread violence, lawlessness, and murder during the rule of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
According to escapees, disturbing reports are now emerging of the RSF’s brutal reign in the capital.
Troops of the Sudanese Armed Forces retake the Presidential Palace in central Khartoum. Shortly afterward, the RSF launched a drone attack on the palace, killing soldiers and reporters. (Telegram)
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) now reportedly control most of Khartoum, including key government and financial buildings and large parts of Omdurman, located to the west.
In a statement, SAF spokesperson Nabil Abdallah said the military had eliminated “hundreds of militia members who tried to escape through pockets in central Khartoum.”
Speaking exclusively to The Media Line, former BBC Arabic Service journalist Omar Abdel Aziz said that although the military has made gains, some RSF pockets remain in the capital. He added that the RSF continues to control four of the five states in Darfur.
Following the popular uprising and military coup that ousted former Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir in April 2019, the RSF—composed of various militias, particularly the Darfur-based Janjaweed—formed a transitional military council alongside army commanders in Khartoum.
Protests continued, demanding economic reforms, democratic governance, and an end to corruption. When the attempt to transition to a civilian-led government collapsed in 2023, the transitional council dissolved, and both armed factions vied for control of the capital and the country.
The civil war officially began in April 2023, with fierce fighting breaking out between the SAF, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, under Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.
Initially, Khartoum and Omdurman were divided between the two forces. Al-Burhan eventually relocated his government to Port Sudan as the RSF captured most of Khartoum’s government buildings. International efforts to broker a ceasefire failed and were eventually abandoned.
As of February 5, 2025, more than 8.8 million Sudanese were internally displaced, and over 3.5 million had fled the country as refugees.
Khartoum state and the capital have witnessed some of the fiercest fighting. With the SAF now regaining most of the capital, the RSF finds itself increasingly exposed in broader Khartoum state and the north.
Raga Ahmed, a dual British-Sudanese citizen who fled shortly after the war began, told The Media Line that her home in the Mohammed Najeeb area near the American School in Khartoum had been seized by RSF forces.
Raga Ahmed. (Courtesy)
Ahmed, 40, said the group’s headquarters were less than a mile from her house and that RSF fighters had ransacked her home.
She said she is now hearing increasingly horrific stories from other recently liberated RSF-held areas.
When they went back after the army had overtaken the area … they smelled a very bad odor, like human remains, and found the mother, father, and four girls in the septic tanks
“There’s a family I know who wish to remain anonymous, but they lost contact with all their relatives in Omdurman. When they went back after the army had overtaken the area … they smelled a very bad odor, like human remains, and found the mother, father, and four girls in the septic tanks.”
RSF members ransacked Raga Ahmed’s home. (Courtesy)
Despite the SAF’s recent gains, regional experts caution that the war is far from over.
“In general, their [SAF] situation is not as comfortable as this might look like because this is a bit symbolic—the retaking of the Presidential Palace—the RSF has already said they will fight back,” said Jan Pospisil, associate professor at Coventry University’s Centre for Peace and Security, speaking to The Media Line from Nairobi.
The conflict has been intensified by growing external involvement, especially by the UAE, Turkey, Egypt, and Russia.
Although Abu Dhabi denies involvement, evidence suggests it has supplied weapons and ammunition to the RSF.
Amgad Fareid Eltayeb, an analyst and former senior aide to Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, noted that the UAE seeks to preserve the RSF’s institutional presence in Sudan to maintain political influence and protect its long-term investments in the country.
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Bodies pulled from sewage pit in Sudan capital, Khartoum, March 16, 2025 (AFPTV via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Egypt, Turkey, and—less directly—Russia have reportedly supplied arms to the SAF via its stronghold in Port Sudan.
In parallel, the RSF and other anti-army groups have attempted to establish an opposition government in Kenya. While Pospisil does not expect international recognition, even from the UAE, he said the situation remains highly unstable.
One possible turning point in the conflict could be control of the skies. The UAE has reportedly supplied the RSF with advanced drones, enabling them to carry out increasingly sophisticated attacks.
They already attacked the Presidential Palace yesterday. However, a successful drone attack on Port Sudan changes the whole complexion,
“They already attacked the Presidential Palace yesterday. However, a successful drone attack on Port Sudan changes the whole complexion. There are loads of diplomats there, and that would be a big blow to the SAF,” Pospisil said.
Despite the scale of the humanitarian crisis, Sudan has received relatively little attention in Western media, a fact that many in the Sudanese diaspora find deeply unjust.
The thing that’s happening in Sudan is more serious and more painful than Ukraine, Gaza, or any other place in the world because no one can see. No one is covering it.
“The thing that’s happening in Sudan is more serious and more painful than Ukraine, Gaza, or any other place in the world because no one can see. No one is covering it,” Raga said. “It is as if the world just does not care.”