By Matik Kueth
The Sudanese army has announced that it has successfully regained control of Khartoum airport from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), claiming to have “fully secured” the facility, according to military sources.
On Wednesday, the troops also managed to encircle surrounding areas of the airport situated in the Sudanese capital, according to a report by Aljazeera.
Last week, the armed forces reached a significant milestone by regaining the presidential palace, an action considered essential in their efforts to recover territories initially held by the RSF.
Troops have also surrounded the strategic Jebel Awliya area, which is the RSF’s last major stronghold in Khartoum, from multiple directions: north, south, and east.
An anonymous military source indicated that this operation is part of the ongoing campaign to drive paramilitary forces from central Khartoum, which gained momentum after the recapture of the presidential palace on Friday.
RSF fighters had occupied the airport, located just east of Khartoum’s government and business area, since the outbreak of hostilities in April 2023.
However, on Wednesday, the army secured both ends of the Manshiya Bridge, which spans the Blue Nile in Khartoum. This leaves only the Jebel Awliya bridge, situated south of the city, as the remaining crossing under RSF control, linking them to their bases in western Darfur.
Reports from across the city indicate that RSF fighters have begun retreating southward from neighborhoods they once controlled, seemingly heading toward Jebel Awliya.
This bridge, which crosses the White Nile, is now the sole route remaining for RSF fighters in Khartoum to access their strongholds to the west.
The conflict, which has persisted for nearly two years, has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, displaced over 12 million individuals, and created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, marked by severe hunger and extensive displacement.