Sudan Nashra: Military secures Khartoum, RSF flee en masse | RSF captures Malha, puts Fasher at risk | Foreign minister: Saudi delegation discusses reconstruction plans

Nearly two years after the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) assault on his residence forced him to flee the capital, Transitional Sovereignty Council Chair and Sudanese Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan returned to the presidential palace in central Khartoum on Wednesday. 

Arriving for the first time since the war’s outbreak via the Khartoum International Airport, Burhan declared the defeat of his rival and former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, in the capital.

The military expelled the RSF from Khartoum City and documented their retreat on foot across the Jebel Awliya Dam Bridge. On Thursday, its forces captured the bridge’s eastern entrance, a field source told Mada Masr. The bridge links Khartoum to the RSF-held Jebel Awliya area to the south, near the border with White Nile State

Yet, as the military consolidated its gains in central Sudan, it suffered a major setback in North Darfur, where the RSF captured the strategic border locality of Malha, placing Fasher at significant risk, while exacerbating a humanitarian crisis in the locality itself.

A military source attributed Malha’s fall to the lack of defensive planning by the military leadership, which led the forces to retreat toward the Chadian border and relinquish the area. 

Meanwhile, in Port Sudan, the country’s temporary administrative capital, government efforts to secure funding for reconstruction, particularly in Khartoum, are gaining momentum. The city is hosting a Saudi delegation, with discussions focused on a six-month emergency plan covering electricity, water, healthcare and environmental rehabilitation in the capital, Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Youssef told Mada Masr. He added that a follow-up Saudi delegation is expected soon as part of a broader effort to support Sudan’s post-war reconstruction and development.

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After securing Khartoum, Burhan in presidential palace for first time since war began

For the first time since the war’s outbreak, Transitional Sovereignty Council Chair and the military’s Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan landed at Khartoum International Airport on Wednesday, marking a pivotal moment in the battle for the capital. Shortly after stepping onto the tarmac, Burhan proceeded to the presidential palace, where he declared Khartoum liberated, stating, “It’s over. Khartoum is free.”

The military’s sweeping advance came less than a week after it seized the presidential palace and key government headquarters in central Khartoum.

By Wednesday, military forces had spread across the city’s neighborhoods, while RSF fighters retreated in large numbers, crossing the Jebel Awliya Dam Bridge toward Omdurman before dispersing into Kordofan and Darfur.

Military units began their advance early Wednesday, a field source told Mada Masr, securing positions in eastern and southern Khartoum and taking full control of the Khartoum International Airport, as well as the Soba and Manshiya bridges. They also regained control of the Motorized Infantry Brigade on the Khartoum-Gezira border, the Air Defense headquarters, the Yarmouk Military Industrial Complex, Khartoum Sports City, the RSF’s Tiba camp and the Nugumi airbase in southern Khartoum, according to the source.

The military then conducted combing operations across several neighborhoods, including Emarat, eastern Dayum, Sahafa, Gabra and Kalakla in southern and central Khartoum, as well as Manshiya, Riyadh, Maamoura, Gereif West and Soba in the east, the source said. During these operations, forces apprehended RSF fighters and seized combat vehicles, weapons stockpiles and high-grade jamming devices, according to the source.

The source added that the military intends to continue combing operations to capture remaining RSF elements and collaborators, and secure sites the RSF had used for storing weapons and ammunition and holding detainees.

RSF fighters had begun withdrawing from Khartoum on Monday night via the Jebel Awliya Bridge, the source said, following their collapse in central Khartoum in the decisive battle for the presidential palace on Friday that left over 500 RSF fighters dead.

On Wednesday morning, the military struck several RSF transport trucks loaded with looted goods near the entrance to the Jebel Awliya Bridge. The attacks brought traffic to a halt, forcing RSF fighters to cross on foot, the source said.

Large numbers of RSF fighters crossed the bridge and headed directly toward Bara City in North Kordofan, while those left without means to leave the capital scattered into the Salha neighborhood and other areas in southern Omdurman.

The military later posted video footage of RSF fighters retreating en masse across the bridge toward Omdurman.

Preparations are underway for another deployment in the coming hours or days to secure western Omdurman, including western Ombada, the Libya Market, Salha and Muweilah, which remain under RSF control, a military source told Mada Masr. 

The source anticipates a formal announcement of Khartoum State’s complete liberation soon.

A senior Sudanese military officer told Mada Masr that the armed forces’ strategy to secure Khartoum and shift the course of the war had unfolded in phases: first absorbing the shock, then wearing down the RSF, followed by capturing strategic positions and finally encircling and isolating RSF units, forcing their retreat.

The officer predicts that the RSF retreat seen in Khartoum would likely be repeated in Kordofan and Darfur, citing the group’s disorganization, leadership vacuum and declining morale.

However, the RSF dismissed claims of a military victory, insisting its forces “have never lost a battle” but only “strategically repositioned and expanded across the battlefronts to secure their military objectives,” adding that “there is no retreat; no surrender.”

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RSF captures Malha, North Darfur, threatening Fasher

The RSF captured Malha — the strategic locality 200 km north of Fasher — on Saturday. The fall of the city poses significant risks for Fasher, both on the military and humanitarian fronts.

The RSF had mobilized around 450 four-wheel-drive vehicles for the offensive, having amassed troops around the area since March 19 in preparation for the attack, a field source in the military-allied joint force told Mada Masr.

Before launching their offensive, the RSF attempted to negotiate with soldiers and field commanders to surrender the town without military confrontation, but their offer was rejected, the source said, adding that some field leaders had prohibited any communication with the RSF.

Speaking to Mada Masr, a military source described the joint force’s withdrawal as a failure of intelligence. 

The forces stationed in Malha, the source said, had shifted from being a military force to a tax-collecting entity controlling the passage of goods from Libya and northern Sudan.

According to the source, Malha’s fall was not a result of the size of the attacking RSF outfit but rather of the military leadership’s lack of defensive planning. Such mistakes forced their forces to retreat westward toward the Chadian border, the source said.

A source from the joint force, under the Desert Axis Command, told Mada Masr that the RSF’s capture of Malha carries strategic significance on three key levels.

First, the move aligns with RSF Deputy Commander Abdel Rahim Dagalo’s efforts to secure additional routes and crossings to ensure the flow of weapons toward Fasher. It also aims to shift military operations to areas that facilitate reinforcements from Chad via the Adre border crossing, according to the source.

Second, Malha is a crucial hub for border trade, and its control grants the RSF leverage over a significant portion of the economy, according to the source. This allows the RSF to impose its own trade equations on commercial flows between Darfur, Libya and Egypt, they said.

Third, Malha serves as a logistical supply center for food provisions to Fasher, meaning its capture could tighten the siege on the city and significantly hinder any potential counteroffensive against RSF-controlled areas, according to the source.

A source in the North Darfur state government warned that RSF control over Malha would worsen the already dire humanitarian crisis in the area. 

The International Organization for Migration reported that 15,000 families were displaced from the town of Malha between March 20 and 21 due to the clashes.

The RSF also looted Malha’s market and killed at least 45 civilians, the government source said, predicting that the city would soon become an RSF military base, as many fighters fleeing Khartoum are expected to regroup in Darfur to escalate the battle for Fasher.

Meanwhile, a senior military official at the command and control room of the Sixth Infantry Division in Fasher described the RSF’s capture of Malha as a “suicidal move” meant to impose new military realities. The official said that the battle for Malha had cost the RSF several key field commanders and a substantial amount of military equipment gathered from across the region. This, the official suggested, means that other RSF-held territories are now vulnerable, presenting an opportunity for a concentrated assault that could deliver a near-total blow to the RSF.

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Sudan looks to regional partners for reconstruction following major victory in Khartoum

As military operations point in the direction of fully securing the capital following the fall of Khartoum City to the military this week, the government has begun planning for reconstruction in collaboration with regional allies.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Youssef told Mada Masr that a Saudi delegation arrived in Sudan to map out the country’s urgent needs as part of a six-month emergency plan covering electricity, water, healthcare and environmental rehabilitation in the capital, Khartoum.

Youssef described the initiative as a significant step that reflects “the deep ties between Sudan and Saudi Arabia and the strong bond between their peoples.”

This visit, he added, would be followed by another Saudi delegation as part of broader efforts for post-war reconstruction and Sudan’s economic revival. 

Another Saudi delegation is also set to visit Sudan to assess investment opportunities across various sectors, be they state-led initiatives, investments or development funds, Youssef said, stressing the importance of these visits and their long-term implications.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim stated on Monday that discussions are underway with several international institutions regarding post-war reconstruction.

A senior Finance Ministry official told Mada Masr that a high-level committee on reconstruction and compensation has already been formed and has developed a comprehensive framework, with a dedicated reconstruction commission set to follow. 

According to the source, Burhan is directly overseeing the reconstruction efforts, with a clear vision for post-war Sudan, which, the official stressed, will be markedly different from before. The focus will be on infrastructure development, human capital and restoring essential services, according to the official.

Preparations are also in place for international meetings, the official added, with Kuwait set to be the next destination in mid-April. Further discussions aimed at securing support for Sudan’s reconstruction efforts are also planned with the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah, the World Bank in Washington, DC and the African Development Bank, according to the official.