Army seizes presidential palace in Khartoum as Sudan conflict escalates

According to the army, it has also secured control of several ministries and other critical buildings in central Khartoum. Military sources report that RSF fighters have pulled back approximately 400 meters from their previous positions.

Symbolic reclamation of the palace

The RSF had swiftly taken control of the Presidential Palace and much of Khartoum in April 2023 when conflict erupted over the paramilitary group’s integration into the armed forces. The army has since shared footage of soldiers celebrating inside the reclaimed palace, which now bears visible scars of battle, including shattered glass and bullet-riddled walls.

The RSF has yet to issue an official response regarding the palace’s recapture and the army’s recent advances in Khartoum. However, late on Thursday, the group claimed responsibility for seizing a strategic army base in North Darfur, further escalating the conflict.

Heavy fighting erupted between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in central Khartoum and around the presidential palace late on Wednesday, continuing into the early hours of Thursday, military sources and witnesses said.https://t.co/Tfjt25mG0C
Video:… pic.twitter.com/pvBQtxkcle

— Sudan Tribune (@SudanTribune_EN) March 20, 2025

Ongoing clashes in Khartoum

Gunfire echoed through the streets of Khartoum on Friday as the army continued its offensive, aiming to encircle RSF forces that still occupy vast areas south of the palace. The army reiterated its commitment to driving out the RSF, declaring in a statement, “We are moving forward along all fighting axes until victory is complete by cleansing every inch of our country from the filth of this militia and its collaborators.”

The war erupted two years ago as Sudan was preparing for a transition to democratic governance.

Initially, the army and the RSF collaborated to remove former leader Omar al-Bashir from power in 2019 and later worked together to overthrow civilian leadership. However, tensions between the two groups escalated as al-Bashir bolstered the RSF—rooted in Darfur’s janjaweed militias—as a counterbalance to the army, which is led by career officer General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

(With inputs from Reuters)