On a momentous day that will likely be etched into the annals of Sudanese history, members of the Sudanese army captured footage of themselves standing triumphantly inside the hallowed halls of the presidential palace. The date, March 21, 2025, is set against the backdrop of Khartoum, a city whose heart pulses with the mingled rhythm of unrest and hope. This screengrab, sourced from social media and shared by REUTERS, provides a raw glimpse of the aftermath as the army declared control over this emblematic site.
The military’s announcement on a fateful Friday encapsulated a pivotal gain in a seemingly endless conflict that has beleaguered their nation for two full years. At the core of this turmoil lies a rivalry with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), whose influence has edged Sudan toward a precarious reality of possible division.
For a time, the army seemed to be grappling in the shadows, losing territory inch by inch. Yet, recent developments have indicated a reversal of fortune. “In the heart of adversity lies opportunity,” they say. The Sudanese army, rallying against the odds, has claimed back swathes of territory in the country’s central regions, previously dominated by the ever-expanding RSF.
Conversely, the RSF remains stalwart in its dominion over western territories, forging a standoff that in many ways mirrors a chess match—a stalemate where every move grips the fate of a nation. Emboldened, the RSF seeks to set up a parallel government, a bold maneuver that may fail to garner the international support it craves.
With proclamations of power spreading, the army asserted control over critical buildings right in the bustling epicenter of Khartoum. According to military insiders, RSF troops have fallen back approximately 400 meters. In stark contrast, the RSF swiftly captured both the palace and much of Khartoum right after war erupted in 2023 over contentious issues concerning their integration into the national military. The images shared by the military tell a haunting story—a palace marred by gunfire, a battle-scarred status quo defined by shattered windows and walls etched with bullet holes.
Amidst this turmoil, the voice of the RSF was conspicuously silent on the matter of the palace and the military’s advancement. Yet, on the preceding Thursday, the group did not hesitate to claim a victory over a strategic base in North Darfur, stressing their formidable presence in the west.
The echoes of battle may still linger over Khartoum, but for many Sudanese citizens, the army’s triumph offers a rare glimmer of hope. Among them is Mohamed Ibrahim, a seasoned Khartoum resident of 55 years, who exclaimed, “The liberation of the palace is the best news I’ve heard since the start of the war. It symbolizes a return to safety, a step toward a life devoid of fear or hunger.”
The U.N. has painted a grim picture, calling it “the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.” It’s a crisis marked by famine and disease enveloping a country of 50 million souls. Amidst this human suffering, the fingers of blame are pointed in both directions, with allegations of war crimes and, specifically for the RSF, charges of genocide. Both parties resolutely deny these indictments.
Even as intermittent gunfire resonated through the streets of Khartoum that Friday, the army’s resolve was apparent. “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,” declared their stark, unwavering statement.
The seeds of this war were sown two years prior, during Sudan’s tumultuous transition to democratic rule—a period when hopes were high yet power dynamics were fragile. The army and RSF, once collaborators overthrowing Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and later civilian powers, now face off. It’s a complex divide, rooted in the evolution of the RSF from the janjaweed militias of Darfur to a powerful entity under Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and counterbalanced by the traditional military led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
This is a saga crafted by the hands of history, embodied by struggle and aspiration. The following chapters are laden with uncertainty, yet somewhere lies a path to peace.
