Africa

Sudan's Army Retakes Presidential Palace in Khartoum

MAR 21 2025·Updated MAR 23 2025

Story

Above: Sudan's army chief General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan. Image credit: Contributor/AFP via Getty Images

The Facts

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) recaptured the presidential palace in downtown Khartoum on Friday, marking a significant turning point in the two-year conflict with the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
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Reuters
Wsj
Videos shared by the SAF showed extensive damage to the presidential palace, which had been under RSF control since April 2023, including shattered windows and bullet-damaged walls.
The Africareport
Reuters
This comes after the army broke a two-year RSF siege of the General Command headquarters in Khartoum, allowing troops to encircle RSF forces in the city center.
The Africareport
Sudan Tribune
While the SAF gains ground in Khartoum, the RSF maintains firm control in western Sudan, particularly in Darfur, where they recently captured the strategic desert city of al-Maliha.
Africanews
Al Jazeera
The ongoing conflict has created what the UN describes as the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with over 12M people displaced and widespread famine conditions across the country.
UN News
BBC News
Both the SAF and RSF face accusations of war crimes, with the RSF charged explicitly with genocide by the US. However, both sides deny these allegations.
Reuters
World Peace Foundation
Human Rights Watch

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

The liberation of the presidential palace is a historic victory that will begin restoring security and stability to the capital. The SAF will continue to advance until every inch of the country is freed from militia control, and Sudanese people can be safe again and live without fear or hunger.

Sudans Post

Dw.Com

Narrative B

The RSF has consolidated significant territorial control in western Sudan — establishing parallel governance structures and achieving strategic victories in North Darfur. Sudan faces a contested, partitioned reality as their ongoing military capabilities and regional influence grow.