Translated by Angela Tagliafierro
On September 26th, 2024, the Sudanese army launched a crucial military offensive to reconquer Khartoum, the capital city of the country fell mostly under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since the beginning of the civil war, burst in April 2023. Through air raids and artillery shots, the attack is one of the strongest collisions in the last months and may become the turning point in the war which has recently destroyed the Sudan.
The offensive in Khartoum
The military operation of the Sudanese army (SAF) started at sunrise, aiming to regain the control over strategic areas of the capital cities, including the main zones and the main bridges which link Omdurman to Khartoum. The army, through air bombing and artillery shots, crossed at least two of the main bridges over the Nile, which separate the part of the city controlled by the army from the other part, controlled by the RSF paramilitaries.
According to military sources and local witnesses, the army managed to reconquer important central districts, such as Souk-al-Araby, one of the main markets in Khartoum, and took control over three strategic crossings of the city. Furthermore, the army moved close to the Presidential Palace and regain the control of the Sudanese Central Bank, which was being commanded by RSF since mid-April 2023.
The difficulties of the civilian population
The fighting hardly hit the civilian population, already worn out because of months of war and famine. Those living in Khartoum, especially in the areas controlled by the RSF, are under a constant threat. The paramilitaries have been accused of several abuses, raids of markets and hospitals among them, forced occupations of their houses and sexual violences on women and girls.
A humanitarian source which distributes aids, Augreis, reported that the civilians are living a desperate situation, relieved as well as scared because of the fighting getting more and more intense. On one hand the population hopes the RSF will be defeated; on the other hand, it fears the escalation of the violence and the worsening of the humanitarian crisis.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi defined the situation as “apocalyptic” and highlighted that the war has already caused more than thirteen million of internal evacuees and thousands of victims. Furthermore, the food security of about 25 million of people has been into danger because of the war: five million are on the edge of the famine.
The army’s ambitions
The Sudanese army is trying to reinforce its position on a military as well as political level. The chief of the army, the General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has recently given a speech at the General Assembly of the UN in New York, affirming that the offensive aiming to reconquer Khartoum is a fundamental step to regain control over the country under the current government.
In his speech, Burhan has also accused some foreign countries, not explicitly mentioning them, of supporting RSF through weapons and logistical support. However, the general has highlighted that the army is ready to negotiate the peace, providing that RSF stops the occupation of the capital city and ceases fire. The RSF’s leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, reaffirmed his availability to a national cease fire to allow the distribution of humanitarian aids. Despite all, the fights keep going and the idea of a truce seems to be still far.
The reciprocal accusations of war crimes
Both factions have been accused of war crimes and violations of human rights. Other than indiscriminate attacks against the civilians, concise executions, violence against women and kidnapping are also highlighted, and RSF and its allies are blamed for them. The army has been accused of committing violations, too, such as the repression of the activists and humanitarian volunteers in the areas under its control.
The war also spread to other regions of the Sudan, especially in the Darfur, where the battles between the governmental army and the RSF destroyed the city of El Fasher. The UN warned of the danger of ethnical violences while thousands of civilians are still trapped in the besieged region.
A humanitarian crisis with no precedents
According to the UN estimate, the battle in Sudan has already provoked the death of about 20000 people; some sources estimate up to 150000 victims, most of them not yet recorded. Furthermore, the war has created the most serious humanitarian crisis in the world: 26 million of people are starving, 10 million have been evacuated, more than 2,2 million of refugees crossed the borders.
The international community, US and EU included, demanded an immediate cease fire and a greater protection of civilians. The general secretary of the UN, António Guterres, expressed his concern for the escalation of the battle and for the risks of its expansion all over the region.
While the Sudanese army is trying to recontrol Khartoum, the future of the battle is still unsure. Despite the military success of the beginning, the road to a negotiated solution seems to be still far and complex. Thousand of people are leaving, the civilians are exhausted, and the humanitarian crisis keeps worsening day after day: the peace seems to be far from the Sudan devastated from the war.
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