Sudan's military retakes Republican Palace in Khartoum in blow to RSF

Our valiant forces are still present in the vicinity of the area,

read an RSF statement issued on the messaging service Telegram

Commercial supplies and humanitarian aid have been blocked for more than three months due to ongoing conflict along key routes,

UNICEF warned

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar - Friday, the 21st day of Ramadan and the 21st of March - we entered the Republican Palace

In a clip filmed inside the building, an SAF captain is heard saying

In areas the RSF controls, they kill people, rape women and destroy all humanity. Whenever the army arrives, people become happy because they feel safer. Even the children are joyous,

said Yousef, a young Sudanese man

It feels the geographic bifurcation is getting stronger, except el-Fasher of course. RSF has to secure el-Fasher to claim a de facto state, which is not certain at all,

he said

Retaking the presidential palace paves the way for the return of government ministries, while defeating the RSF's elite forces in central Khartoum is a blow to the group's overall position,

said a retired Sudanese general,

Our forces completely destroyed the enemy's fighters and equipment, and seized large quantities of equipment and weapons,

army spokesman Nabil Abdallah said in a statement broadcast on state television

Dozens of civilians, including local humanitarian volunteers, have been killed by artillery shelling and aerial bombardment by the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces in eastern Khartoum and north Omdurman since 12 March,

a spokesperson for the United Nations Human Rights Office, Seif Magango, said Thursday as fighting intensified in the capital

Credible reports indicate that the RSF and allied militia have raided homes in eastern Khartoum, carrying out summary killings and arbitrary detentions, and looted food and medical supplies from community kitchens and medical clinics,

Magango added

With the army entering the Republican Palace, which means control of central Khartoum, the militia has lost its elite forces,

a military expert told AFP, requesting anonymity for their safety

What remained of RSF militias have fled into some buildings

in central Khartoum ... a military source told AFP, requesting anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media

Now the army has destroyed equipment, killed a number of their forces and seized control of one of its most important supply centres in Khartoum,

the expert continued

God is the greatest!”

Soldiers carrying assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers chanted

Today the flag is raised, the palace is back and the journey continues until victory is complete,

he wrote

The liberation of the palace is the best news I've heard since the start of the war, because it means the start of the army controlling the rest of Khartoum,

said 55-year-old Khartoum resident Mohamed Ibrahim

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 army statement said

We want to be safe again and live without fear or hunger,

he said