Sudanese troops and allied fighters celebrate after retaking control of the presidential palace in Khartoum. AP
Sudanese troops and allied fighters celebrate after retaking control of the presidential palace in Khartoum. AP
Sudanese troops and allied fighters celebrate after retaking control of the presidential palace in Khartoum. AP
Sudanese troops and allied fighters celebrate after retaking control of the presidential palace in Khartoum. AP

Sudan's army consolidates grip on capital after seizing more key sites from RSF


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  • Arabic

Sudan's army and allied militias have regained control of the country's central bank headquarters and other key sites in the capital from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, witnesses said on Saturday. It comes a day after the army retook the presidential palace.

Troops also drove the RSF out the National Museum, the Chinese-built Friendship Hall – the capital's largest conference complex, the National Intelligence Service's headquarters, the main campus of Sudan University and the Corinthia Hotel, a Khartoum landmark, witnesses said. The army also retook Tuti Island, a residential area on the Blue Nile.

The recent gains reverse some of the losses the army suffered in the days after the war began on April 15, 2023, when the RSF seized control of the presidential palace, most of the armed forces' headquarters, the city's international airport and key military bases and industrial complexes.

The RSF, whose forerunner is a notorious militia from Darfur called the Janjaweed, still controls the airport and about dozen residential districts in Khartoum and its sister city of Omdurman which, together with Bahri, make up the greater capital region.

Sudanese army troops inside the presidential palace in Khartoum on Friday. AFP
Sudanese army troops inside the presidential palace in Khartoum on Friday. AFP

Videos widely shared online on Saturday purported to show soldiers and allied volunteers celebrating their victories at some of the recaptured sites. Most were in Al Muqran area near the city centre, at the point where the Blue and White Niles meet before they flow through northern Sudan and Egypt to the Mediterranean.

Speaking late on Friday, army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan vowed to press on with the offensive until the RSF was defeated.

“We are all determined to finish off this mutiny and eliminate those criminals and murderers,” he told mourners at the funeral of an army officer killed on Friday when an RSF drone hit the presidential palace.

He ruled out any negotiations to end the war, saying: “We have had thousands of martyrs and we are not about to let their blood be wasted. We cannot let them die and then we sit with those people [the RSF] and say let bygones be bygones.”

The oval-shaped Corinthia Hotel stands out in the Khartoum skyline along the Blue Nile. AFP
The oval-shaped Corinthia Hotel stands out in the Khartoum skyline along the Blue Nile. AFP

Saudi Arabia and the US brokered several ceasefires shortly after the war broke out. But none of them halted the fighting, which is believed to have killed tens of thousands, displaced more than 12 million and left more than half of Sudan's 50 million people facing acute hunger. Eight million are believed to be on the brink of famine.

The war broke out after months of tension between Gen Al Burhan and RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo, his one-time ally, over control of Sudan.

With the army and its allies now poised to regain full control of the capital, attention will slowly shift to Darfur in the west and Kordofan to the south-west – vast, arid regions controlled by the RSF. Both the RSF and the army have local allies there.

“The war may have entered the countdown stage now, but it's not over yet,” said Sudanese military analyst Salah Mansour, a retired brigadier general. “You still have to clean up Khartoum and then move on to Darfur and Kordofan. But any further advances by the army will make the end of the war just a matter of time.

“The RSF has been significantly weakened but can still prolong the war with street warfare tactics.”

THE BIO

Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain

Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude

Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE

Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally

Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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ESSENTIALS

The flights 

Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes. 

Where to stay 

The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.

Graduated from the American University of Sharjah

She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters

Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks

Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding

 

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

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Scoreline:

Everton 4

Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', ​​​​​​​Digne 56', Walcott 64'

Manchester United 0

Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)

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Results

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m, Winner: ES Rubban, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)

5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Al Mobher, Sczcepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: Jabalini, Tadhg O’Shea, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: AF Abahe, Tadgh O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: AF Makerah, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Law Of Peace, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar

'The Lost Daughter'

Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal

Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson

Rating: 4/5

How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

How the bonus system works

The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.

The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.

There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).

All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.

PROFILE OF HALAN

Started: November 2017

Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport and logistics

Size: 150 employees

Investment: approximately $8 million

Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar

Updated: March 24, 2025, 7:27 AM`