Sudan Nashra: Fighting intensifies in southern, western Khartoum | Military begins linking forces in Bahri | Burhan commends Sudanese Air Force for strikes on RSF

After a series of statements and counter-statements, the conflict in Sudan has returned to the battlefield, where intense fighting between the military and the Rapid Support Forces is escalating. 

Amid the surge in military operations, both domestic and international political discourse has faded into silence, drowned out by the sound of gunfire and the Sudanese military’s growing hope for military victory — at least in Sudan’s central region, including Khartoum.

As for the RSF, its leader Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo and his advisors have once again declared war, although the declaration was tainted with defeat. In a pre recorded message aired on Wednesday, Hemedti acknowledged his forces’ loss in the Jebel Moya axis. 

On Sunday, the chair of the Transitional Sovereignty Council and the military’s commander-in-chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, toured Jebel Moya, met with his troops and reviewed military leaders’ plans to retake key areas in Sennar State, including its capital Singa, and secure White Nile State, according to a field source who spoke to Mada Masr.

Meanwhile, in the capital Khartoum, military operations persist amid communication and internet blackouts, with the military intensifying its advances from the south and west, pushing toward Khartoum’s city center. The aim is to link with their forces at the General Command and reclaim the Presidential Palace on Nile Street, employing drones and missiles to eliminate RSF snipers stationed on tall buildings.

In Bahri, military forces moved from the Signal Corps camp toward the northern part of the city, in an attempt to connect with other military camps and troops arriving from Omdurman, while the air force targeted RSF positions.

The Sudan-Ethiopia border in Gadarif State saw renewed clashes this week between the Ethiopian military and the Fano militia in the Amhara region, a military source told Mada Masr. The source expects the militia to attempt to cross into Sudanese territories, with the harvest season underway, but stressed that the Sudanese military is fully prepared to confront any Ethiopian forces. 

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Burhan in Jebel Moya, Wadi Seidna Air Base

On Sunday, Burhan landed in the Jebel Moya area in Sennar State, over a week after the military recaptured it from the RSF. 

The purpose of Burhan’s visit to his forces on the Kosti-Sennar road was to inspect military preparations for ongoing operations, reclaim Sennar State and its capital Singa, as well as secure White Nile State, a field source told Mada Masr. 

Afterward, Burhan left for Wadi Seidna military base in Omdurman to inspect the air base. During the visit, Burhan commended the Air Force for striking all RSF targets, the Transitional Sovereignty Council reported — a statement made just days after the RSF leader Hemedti accused the Egyptian Air Force of intervening in the battle for Jebel Moya in support of the Sudanese military. 

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry refuted Hemedti’s claims. 

Burhan stressed the need to establish a robust military strategy that would enable the armed forces to regain control across all Sudanese states. 

Burhan was also briefed by the base’s military command on its capabilities, a military source at the base told Mada Masr. 

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Military continues advance in Khartoum, captures strategic sites 

In Khartoum, intense clashes continue between the military, backed by the Bara Ibn Malik Brigade, and the RSF across multiple fronts for the third consecutive week, amid communication and internet blackouts. 

The military has been advancing on the western front in Mogran, while troops continue to cross the White Nile bridge from Omdurman to Khartoum. 

A field source told Mada Masr that, on Saturday, the military made significant strides from Omdurman toward western Khartoum, noting that the area witnessed heavy clashes with a variety of weapons. 

Fighting in Mogran in western Khartoum, where the military gained significant ground over the week,  sometimes lasted for a full day, a military source told Mada Masr.

On Sunday, a fire broke out in the Corinthia Hotel tower on Nile Street near the Presidential Palace due to clashes, another military source said.

The RSF has taken cover in several tall buildings, including the Kuwaiti building, also near the Presidential Palace and located beyond the Mek Nimr bridge, along with other nearby towers, the military source added. 

A field source told Mada Masr that the RSF deployed snipers, stalling the military’s advance. However, the military is using drones and Sam-7 missiles to eliminate the snipers, according to the source.

In southern Khartoum, the Armored Corps advanced northward to the Rawad residential compound in the Lamab area, securing key strategic areas, a military source told Mada Masr. In response, the RSF launched heavy artillery attacks on military positions, with the sound of shelling reverberating throughout the area. 

According to a military field source, the military captured the Rawad compound, a strategic site comprising four to five towers previously used by the RSF as an arms depot, field hospital and residence for senior commanders and officers from the RSF operations room.

The military also launched airstrikes on central and southern Khartoum on Friday, targeting areas and markets where RSF forces are concentrated. An RSF field source who spoke to Mada Masr, however, denied that their forces were targeted and accused the military of deliberately inflicting maximum harm to civilians.

In Bahri, north of the capital, intense clashes erupted on Sunday morning. The military pushed forward from the southern Signal Corps camp toward the Weapons Corps camp to the north, aiming to connect the northern and southern parts of the city, a military field source told Mada Masr.

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Sudan-Ethiopia border tensions flare up

A military source from the eastern military area in Gadarif State told Mada Masr that the Sudanese-Ethiopian border has seen heavy and light weapons clashes between the Ethiopian military and the Fano militia, weeks after the latter captured Ethiopian military-held towns and positions along the Sudanese border. 

The source said the confrontations have been ongoing since late last week, adding that the Ethiopian federal military suffered heavy losses. They also warned that with the harvest season in Sudan underway, the Fano militia may attempt to cross into Sudanese territory to loot crops.

The Sudanese military is fully prepared to respond to any military operations by any Ethiopian forces, they added. 

Several Ethiopian military forces fled into Sudanese territory in September, escaping from the Fano militia, which seized their bases near the Sudanese border.