Khartoum residents welcome return of Sudanese army
Residents of a neighbourhood around 40km south of Khartoum celebrated the return of the Sudanese Army.
As reported by Africa News on March 28th, the Sudanese army reclaimed the territory from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rebel group, just a week after reclaiming key buildings in Khartoum.
Allafah neighbourhood was home to the Allafah market – one of the largest in the region – however it was destroyed during the conflict.
The RSF imposed their rule with shocking brutality and residents spoke of their fear living under the group.
Burai Abdel Moneim, a lawyer and local resident said that: “We were living a life without life. We ate and drank, but we did not feel alive in all aspects.”
The Sudanese army has been steadily regaining territory from the RSF, most notably reclaiming the presidential palace on March 21st, as reported by Maghrebi.
The army has subsequently regained control of the international airport in Khartoum with the military chief symbolically flying directly into the airport for the first time since the war began in April 2023, nearly two years ago.
Residents across the capital have celebrated their return: “Thank God, the army has come to us. We are happy, we went out to cheer and praise God. We couldn’t believe the army had arrived because we had lived through an extremely difficult state.”
Despite excitement from residents and soldiers alike, the RSF is still believed to have a small presence in the capital and the government is yet to claim they have regained control of the capital.
Much of the capital now lies in ruins due to the fact that vital infrastructure – including hospitals – have been the targets of attacks during the conflict.
The RSF have had control of Khartoum for the majority of the civil war.
The conflict has created what the United Nations has termed the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis”, leading to an estimated death toll of 150,000 with a further 12 million people being forced to flee their homes.
Africa News, Maghrebi
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