Sudan Nashra: Burhan plans new technocratic govt | Military pushes toward central, southern Khartoum | RSF attacks Zamzam camp, deploys 350 combat vehicles around Fasher

As Sudan’s war nears its second year, the conflict continues to rage on the military, political and diplomatic fronts. Yet, recent weeks have seen the military steadily gain ground, tipping the balance in its favor.

Bolstered by these advances and an increasingly firm grip on the capital, Transitional Sovereignty Council President and the Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced plans to form a new government. The administration, Burhan and the Foreign Ministry said, would be composed of independent technocrats to handle executive affairs while the military remains focused on the war.

On Saturday, Burhan convened allied political parties and groups in Port Sudan to lay the groundwork for this government. A senior sovereignty council source told Mada Masr that the prime minister would likely be from the current administration.

Meanwhile, in Addis Ababa, the Sudanese crisis is expected to feature on the agenda of the 46th ordinary session of the African Union’s Executive Council currently underway, a Sudanese Foreign Ministry source told Mada Masr. 

The chair of the AU’s panel on Sudan, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, told Mada Masr that an AU summit aimed at paving the way for a Sudanese dialogue between all political forces is expected to take place. This, the Foreign Ministry source said, is part of a preemptive move by the African organization to contain risks posed by the growing alignment of some political factions with the RSF and the paramilitary group’s attempts to set up its own government in territories under its control. 

Meanwhile, Transitional Sovereignty Council Deputy Chair Malik Agar launched a scathing attack on the United Arab Emirates, a non-member observer of the AU, accusing it of attempting to derail efforts to resolve Sudan’s crisis by planning to hold a conference on the sidelines on Sunday.

Burhan launched a diplomatic campaign in January to lift Sudan’s suspension from the AU and counter the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the international stage, visiting five West African capitals in five days. 

On the battlefield, the military has continued its advances in Bahri’s Kafouri and East Nile neighborhoods, nearing control of the eastern side of the Soba Bridge, which leads into Khartoum. Its forces are also pushing in from the south and east, closing in on Khartoum’s center and the presidential palace. Their progress has been bolstered by major reinforcements from the River Nile State’s Third Infantry Division, now deployed at the General Command.

From northern Gezira, the military is advancing toward southern Khartoum, with only three small towns standing between its forces and the capital. The RSF, meanwhile, is regrouping in one of the towns, setting up sand barriers and posts in Bagir as its last line of defense on the border with Khartoum.

To the west of Gezira, the military grows ever closer to the strategic Jabal Awliya area southwest of the capital after capturing Abu Quta and its surrounding villages on Saturday.

In North Darfur, the RSF renewed its attack on the Zamzam displacement camp and nearby villages south of Fasher on Tuesday and Wednesday. Meanwhile, the paramilitary group has deployed 350 combat vehicles for the battle for Fasher, according to a source in Fasher’s Sixth Infantry Division.

The military-allied joint force, on the other hand, is mobilizing toward Fasher from the northern town of Daba, a military source told Mada Masr, expecting intense clashes in the coming days.

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Burhan advances plans for a civilian-led government

Burhan is making significant strides toward forming a new government, rallying political forces in Port Sudan, the country’s temporary administrative capital.

From late January until February 8, political and social groups convened in Port Sudan for consultations, the outcomes of which were submitted to Burhan. At the closing conference, Burhan affirmed that discussions are ongoing to select a civilian prime minister to lead an executive government composed of competent independents.

Since relocating the government’s operations to Port Sudan in August 2023, following his escape from the General Command in Khartoum, Burhan has regularly appointed and dismissed members of both the Transitional Sovereignty Council and the government. 

A source from the Transitional Sovereignty Council told Mada Masr that consultations are underway with domestic political parties and national groups to nominate a prime minister. While no frontrunners for the position have been disclosed, the source did not rule out the possibility of appointing someone from the current government. So far, deliberations have focused on defining the prime minister’s role and responsibilities, the source said, and outlining key selection criteria — chief among which are competence and political independence.

The source added that the appointment is intended to align with what they described as broader shifts in the country’s evolving executive landscape.

Speaking at the political and social forces' conference, which was attended largely by members of the Democratic Bloc — a wide coalition comprising political and militant groups partial to the military — and pro-military parties, Burhan stressed that the government remains open to anyone willing to distance themselves from the RSF and refrain from offering them political backing. He asserted that the state does not exclude individuals based on their political views and that political disagreements are not conflated with hostility toward the state or attempts to undermine national achievements.

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Sudan crisis on African Union summit’s agenda

The African Union’s foreign ministers convened on Wednesday in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa for a two-day summit, ahead of the heads of state meeting scheduled for February 14 and 15. 

A Sudanese Foreign Ministry source told Mada Masr that Sudan’s crisis is among the key issues slated for discussion. 

This comes amid a nearly two-year war that has devastated Sudan, with regional and international platforms, including the AU, failing to bring it to an end. 

The AU is also set to elect a new commission chair to replace Chadian Foreign Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat, with three candidates in the running: former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Djiboutian Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf and former Madagascan Finance Minister Richard Randriamandrato.

Meanwhile, the chair of the AU’s panel on Sudan, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, told Mada Masr that an African summit is expected to take place with the aim of facilitating an inclusive dialogue between Sudanese political forces.

This is aimed at creating a platform for political factions to navigate their divisions, the Foreign Ministry source said, especially as some groups have already taken clear positions, openly siding with the RSF. 

The AU is particularly concerned about the RSF’s push to establish its own government in territories under its control, the source said. So, to preempt any government formation that could threaten Sudan’s unity, the AU is attempting to bring together political rivals from across the spectrum for talks, according to the source.

A source in the sovereignty council told Mada Masr that Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abel Aatty conveyed in a recent visit Egypt’s deep concerns over the RSF’s efforts to set up a government and the growing alignment of some political factions with the paramilitary group. The source added that Egypt, through the AU Peace and Security Council, is working to safeguard Sudan’s territorial integrity and push for a political framework that unites the country’s rival factions. 

Pan-African Parliament President Fortune Charumbira criticized what he described as the “fragmented efforts” by the AU and other stakeholders to address the Sudan crisis. Speaking at an African governance platform meeting on Tuesday, he urged “harmonization of effort” to resolve the crisis.

On Tuesday, Transitional Sovereignty Council Deputy Chair Malik Agar claimed that the UAE is pushing to hold a separate summit with various African states and institutions to discuss the Sudanese crisis which, he said, runs counter to the AU’s efforts. In his statement, Agar accused the UAE of exacerbating the crisis, both by obstructing African mediation efforts and supporting the RSF.

Sudan’s membership was suspended by the AU Peace and Security Council following the coup that ousted the civilian-led transitional government in October 2021. The AU stated at the time that the suspension, a measure the AU employs in response to military coups in African countries, will remain in effect until civilian rule is restored. 

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Military closes in on RSF in Kafouri, East Nile neighborhoods

The Sudanese military is advancing and tightening its siege on the RSF in Bahri’s Kafouri and East Nile, east of the capital. 

A field source told Mada Masr that on Sunday, military forces advancing from Bahri’s Ezba neighborhood stormed Block 7 in Kafouri following intense clashes with the RSF, seizing large stockpiles of weapons and ammunition.

By Monday, military forces had pushed further south toward blocks 4 and 8, while intense fighting broke out on Tuesday in Block 6 near the former intelligence camp, currently under RSF control, the source added.

Some RSF units withdrew to Blocks 12 and 14 near the Qantara crossing, while others retreated westward toward Bahri’s industrial zone, according to the source.

The military’s strategy, the source explained, is to advance toward the Qantara crossing and then to Hilla Koko, effectively trapping the RSF in the remaining blocks of Kafouri and the industrial zone in Bahri while simultaneously tightening the siege on their positions in the East Nile area.

As the military gained ground in Kafouri, Burhan visited the frontlines in the area on Tuesday, inspecting troops and ordering an intensification of the offensive.

In the East Nile area, a military source told Mada Masr that on Tuesday, the military and General Intelligence Service’s military arm seized control of the Shagla area after capturing the Nasim neighborhood the previous day. The RSF, meanwhile, retreated into the neighborhoods of Haj Youssef.

On the southern front near the Soba Bridge’s eastern end, the source said that the Central Reserve Forces secured full control of the Samra neighborhood, east of the bridge. Meanwhile, the military and the Sudan Shield Forces have taken positions in the Lulua residential complex of Soba East, awaiting a coordinated push toward the bridge linking East Nile to Khartoum.

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Military pushes toward presidential palace as major reinforcements arrive at General Command

In central Khartoum, the military continues its advance toward the presidential palace. A field source told Mada Masr that the Armored Corps mobilized its forces to storm the Strategic Battalion camp and link up with military units in the Mogran area, west of Khartoum city.

The source also said that additional battalions from the Third Infantry Division in Shendi, in the River Nile State, arrived at the General Command in preparation for a westward push toward the presidential palace and the Arab Market area.

So far, the military and its allied forces have cleared RSF presence from three of the four main roads leading to central Khartoum — Ghaba, Hurriya and Mek Nimr. However, the RSF still controls Presidential Palace Street, using it as a corridor to move between different areas in the southern part of the capital.

The military now has forces positioned within a few hundred meters of the Presidential Palace in all directions: at the General Command to the east, in the Mogran area to the west and at the Mek Nimr Bridge to the north. From the south, the Armored Corps is advancing toward the symbolic government building.  

However, RSF snipers stationed in surrounding buildings have slowed the military’s progress. 

Yet, on Wednesday, the military managed to capture some of Khartoum’s tallest buildings. 

Special operations forces, backed by combat drones, captured Byblos Bank at the intersection of Baladiya Street and Mek Nimr Street, a senior military source from the General Staff told Mada Masr.

The military also took control of parts of the Kuwaiti Tower complex, which overlooks Nile Street and has several tall buildings near the Mek Nimr Bridge and the presidential palace.

The military’s push to reclaim the capital’s three cities — Bahri, Khartoum and Omdurman — aims to secure an open supply route, facilitate the movement of troops and heavy weaponry, and pave the way for the resumption of operations in the capital’s federal institutions.

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Military advances from northern Gezira, nearing southern Khartoum

The Sudanese military continues its steady advance toward Khartoum from Gezira State. A local source told Mada Masr that on Tuesday, the military and its allied Abdallah Gamaa Brigade captured the Giad industrial city after limited clashes, forcing RSF defenses to retreat, leaving behind casualties and military equipment.

Located 50 kilometers from central Khartoum, Giad is one of Sudan’s largest industrial hubs. It houses major centers for automobile manufacturing and assembly, as well as medical and agricultural equipment factories, alongside military production facilities.

Three areas — Gadid, Bagir and Sameer — stand between the military’s current position in Gezira and its entry into Khartoum. Beyond them is Soba in southern Khartoum, toward which the military is also pressing from Bahri.

RSF fighters retreating from parts of Gezira are attempting to regroup in Bagir, which hosts a military brigade, and set up advanced defenses in anticipation of a military offensive, according to the local source.

The RSF, the source added, constructed sand barriers and reinforced its positions with additional troops from other areas in Khartoum. 

The source noted that a RSF defeat in this area would directly lead to the military storming southern Khartoum and placing it under multi-directional siege.

On the western front of Gezira, military forces and local mobilized fighters captured the town of Abu Quta, northwest of Gezira and near the Jabal Awliya Dam in southwestern Khartoum, on Saturday.

A local source told Mada Masr that on Sunday and Monday, the military carried out combing operations in several villages surrounding Abu Quta, while reinforcements of around 100 combat vehicles arrived in the area.

Abu Quta’s capture is part of a strategy to encircle the RSF in southern Khartoum and Jabal Awliya, a key supply route for RSF reinforcements and combat vehicles arriving from western Sudan to Khartoum, a military source told Mada Masr last week. 

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350 RSF combat vehicles enter battle for Fasher

For the fifth consecutive month, the RSF continued to mobilize troops and weaponry around Fasher, bringing in new fighters, heavy artillery and drone launch platforms.

A military intelligence source from Fasher’s Sixth Infantry Division told Mada Masr that RSF Deputy Commander Abdel Rahim Dagalo’s movements have secured significant reinforcements. 

Between Sunday and Wednesday, the RSF deployed over 350 combat vehicles, in addition to mortars, Katyusha rocket launchers and long-range artillery, the source said.

The source expects the RSF to launch an assault on Fasher’s outskirts, attacking the eastern and northwestern fronts.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese Air Force continues to shell multiple RSF sites, including strategic positions, across Darfur’s states, focusing particularly on North Darfur, the source said. 

According to a senior military source, RSF operations across Darfur’s states are being coordinated from North Darfur.

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The RSF launches attacks on Zamzam camp, surrounding villages

 

 

The RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, south of Fasher, and several surrounding villages on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing several civilians and sparking a renewed wave of displacement. 

Zamzam is one of the oldest displacement camps in Darfur, originally established during the 2003 Darfur war. Over the years, it has become a shelter for those displaced by various armed conflicts in the region, including the ongoing war. 

Currently, the camp houses over 500,000 people, according to a Darfur regional government source who spoke to Mada Masr.

Mohamed Salem, a resident of Zamzam camp, told Mada Masr that the RSF attacked villages north and west of the camp on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing four civilians.

The RSF also burned villages, including Saluma, N’Djamena and Daba Nayra, north of Zamzam camp, as the new wave of attacks pushed residents south.

A military source within the military-allied joint force told Mada Masr that the RSF is consistently forcing civilians out of areas surrounding Fasher, sometimes using them as human shields to obstruct efforts by the joint force to lift the blockade on residents.

According to a field source from the Daba military zone in northern Sudan, the joint force sent substantial reinforcements to break the siege on Fasher, anticipating intense battles in the coming days. 

The source suggests that the significant reinforcements sent by the joint force and the military could shift the balance of power in the region.