– Paramilitary forces reportedly withdraw from key neighborhoods as army retakes ground

KHARTOUM, Sudan – The Sudanese army on Tuesday announced fresh gains in the capital Khartoum and other regions, further reducing the territory controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In a statement, the army released a control map showing its forces and allied units expanding their presence in Khartoum, White Nile, and Kordofan states in southern Sudan.

Eyewitnesses told HornPulse that RSF fighters had withdrawn from the eastern Khartoum neighborhoods of Burri and Arkaweet, as well as Al-Azhari and Al-Sahafa in the south.

Meanwhile, the Sudan Shield Forces—an army-allied militia led by Abu Agla Keikel—said its fighters had captured the Sondos Agricultural Project area, long considered a key RSF stronghold in southern Khartoum.

Despite the setbacks, the RSF still holds four states in the Darfur region and maintains a foothold in northern and western Kordofan, according to the latest updates. The group has yet to comment on the army’s claims.

The announcement comes just days after the Sudanese military regained control of the presidential palace in Khartoum, for the first time since the war began with the paramilitary group nearly two years ago.

The RSF’s territorial control has been shrinking rapidly in recent weeks, with the army reclaiming areas across Khartoum, Al-Jazira, White Nile, North Kordofan, Sennar, and Blue Nile states.

The army and RSF have been fighting a war since mid-April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.

The international community and the UN have called for an end to the war, warning of an impending humanitarian catastrophe as millions face famine and death due to food shortages. The conflict has spread to 13 of Sudan’s 18 states.