Sudan Nashra: Sudanese Armed Forces take Old Omdurman with brutal offensive | RSF troops in capital collapse | Hamdok asks Cairo to host ‘two generals’

The Sudanese Armed Forces scored a decisive victory this week in the old city of Omdurman, seizing control of the radio and television headquarters from the Rapid Support Forces in one of the most violent battles in the nearly year-long war. 

Omdurman, one of the three cities that make up the Sudanese capital, had been a stronghold for the RSF and a key portal to the west of Sudan. 

Two days after the TV and radio headquarters fell to the Sudanese military on Tuesday, the RSF’s forces in the southern and western regions of Omdurman collapsed and began to retreat to the city’s outskirts. 

With their advances in Omdurman, the armed forces are planning a multi-directional attack on the cities of Khartoum and Bahri, military sources told Mada Masr.

In the far west and southwest of the country, in the cities of Fasher and Babanusa, the military scene remains unchanged, with ongoing attacks by theRSF countered by the Sudanese Armed Forces’ defenses.

And in the east of the country, near the Eritrean border, the Sudanese military’s Assistant Commander-in-Chief Yasser al-Atta attended the graduation of a new batch of forces from the Justice and Equality Movement, led by Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim. These forces are slated for deployment in the anticipated battles in Gezira State. 

Internationally, the Sudanese military and Foreign Ministry are engaged in a political and diplomatic maneuver regarding the non-binding United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a cessation of hostilities during the month of Ramadan, which has not been implemented in the first week of the holy month. The military and Foreign Ministry are setting conditions on the resolution’s enforcement in accordance with the Jeddah Declaration, signed in last May, which should have seen the provision of aid move forward and for attacks on civilians by the RSF come to a halt.

On the political front, Cairo has become a pivotal hub for the Civil Front for Democracy’s bid to resolve the crisis according to its political vision. The front’s head Abdalla Hamdok proposed that Egypt host a meeting between “Sudan’s two warring generals.”

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Continuation of combat operations despite UN Security Council resolution

Despite the non-binding UN Security Council resolution issued earlier this week, which called for a cessation of hostilities during Ramadan, the Sudanese military pressed on with a major advance in Omdurman on the second day of the holy month, drawing closer to victory in the strategic city. 

The resolution, proposed by the United Kingdom and endorsed by 14 UN Security Council members — with Russia abstaining — called on the Sudanese military and the RSF to facilitate aid entry and agree to a ceasefire during Ramadan.

During the Security Council session on Sudan, the country's permanent representative to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss, was interrupted by an urgent message from Sovereignty Council President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during the first minutes of his speech, causing him visible distress.

Perhaps Idriss did not anticipate the message from Burhan, who had boarded his plane for a trip that threw the Sovereignty Council into disarray, disrupting several important meetings on its president’s schedule.

Burhan’s son, Mohamed, was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident in the Turkish capital, Ankara, and has been admitted to the ICU, where his condition remains critical, according to sources in the Sovereignty Council. Burhan interrupted his meeting with the Russian ambassador in Port Sudan, three hours before the Security Council’s session, to fly to his son. The ambassador was briefed by Burhan on the remaining aspects of their conversation on the plane that transported him to Ankara.

Burhan was also scheduled to attend the graduation ceremony for the mobilized forces at the Port Sudan International Stadium. Sources told Mada Masr that Burhan’s postponed speech was intended to clarify the military’s stance on the ceasefire.

Despite Resolution 2724 lacking enforceability, the military government took steps to align with the Security Council’s decision, settling its stance on humanitarian aid entry just two days before the session by announcing the opening of border crossings and aid entry points.

A diplomatic source at the Sudanese Foreign Ministry told Mada Masr that while the content of the UN Security Council resolution is sound in essence, it lacks guarantees, mechanisms and regulations for implementation and sustainability.

The source said that Burhan’s urgent message to Idriss announced that the military commander welcomed the cessation of hostilities during Ramadan, although he communicated concerns about implementation mechanisms, indicating that the RSF has not adhered to the Jeddah Declaration.

The source noted that at the time the UN secretary general issued his call, the RSF had invaded over three villages in Gezira and killed around 141 people in Darfur.

The UK presented a draft resolution calling for all parties to remove obstacles and enable full, rapid and safe access to humanitarian aid, including across borders and front lines, in compliance with international humanitarian law.

The draft also urged the parties to commit to the protection of civilians and their possessions, in accordance with the Jeddah Declaration. 

A military source at the Wadi Sidna military base said that the proposed ceasefire lacks realistic foundations. The military has accepted over five previous ceasefires to protect civilians, but the RSF have exploited them to introduce military equipment and more troops into civilian areas, according to the source. 

The source refuted that the ceasefire would impact the military situation, stating that the armed forces are ready to commit to a ceasefire that upholds citizens' welfare and maintains a safe environment for them. The source added that the ceasefire must be based on previous commitments and the RSF  demonstrating their serious intention to adhere to the truce.

The source said that the matter is not related to the Security Council’s or any other top decisions. The armed forces occasionally pause military operations to ensure citizens have access to food, water or medical assistance, as demonstrated in various stages of the Omdurman battles, where the military paused advances on several axes so citizens could access food, according to the source.

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Drones settle the battle of Old Omdurman in favor of the military 

A few weeks after the Sudanese Armed Forces connected its troops in the Karrari military area in the north to the Omdurman military area in the south, it saw another breakthrough on Tuesday as its forces conducted drone strikes on RSF combat vehicles within a two-kilometer perimeter of the television and radio headquarters. 

The military captured the aftermath of the brutal strike in a video that showed the charred remains of dozens of RSF troops. 

Drones played a decisive role in the attack, eliminating the RSF troops withdrawing from the Sudanese radio and television buildings in the Mulazmeen neighborhood overlooking the west bank of the White Nile, on their way to the Ombada area to the west, during the early hours of Tuesday morning.

A field military source recounted to Mada Masr the start of the major battle in Omdurman, where the military repelled two RSF attacks. The first was a force attempting to exit the radio and television headquarters eastward, and the second was a force coming from the west of the city through al-Arda road for reinforcement. Both forces withdrew. 

By 3 am, the military’s heavy artillery and suicide drones had eliminated all infiltrating and withdrawing RSF troops from the radio and television buildings.

A source in the Engineers Corps told Mada Masr that on Tuesday, the corps’ soldiers and vehicles managed to enter the radio and television buildings, noting that they chased down the remaining RSF fighters.

The armed forces’ success in capturing the radio and television buildings not only connected the south of the city to its north, but also provided significant military protection for the Engineers Corps and secured the bridges linking Omdurman and Bahri. Additionally, it secured the Armors Corps, while enabling a trans-river connection between the Weapons Corps and Omdurman.

According to a military source from the General Command in central Khartoum, the recapture of the radio and television buildings marked the beginning of the move to seize control of the eastern city of Bahri. This development allows forces from the Weapons Corps in the Kadro area, as well as troops stationed in the Maaqil military base in the southern Blue Nile state, to advance, forming a military cordon.

The source added that the military’s strategy focuses on destroying the RSF units that occupied Khartoum.  

Upon his arrival in Omdurman following the military’s takeover of the radio and television buildings, Burhan delivered a speech to the Engineers Corps. He reiterated the military’s commitment to continue its war against the RSF nationwide until their defeat.

How did the Sudanese Armed Forces take over the radio and television buildings?

A military source told Mada Masr that the RSF troops began assembling in the vicinity of Old Omdurman at 1 am on Tuesday, in the western area that has been witnessing clashes for months. Surveillance drones also detected military movements from within the radio and television buildings, including a large deployment of combat vehicles, according to the source. 

The military directives were to avoid combat within the buildings and to draw all forces to a predetermined battle zone. This strategy allows for targeting a large number of combat vehicles and preventing their escape by drawing the RSF fighters away from the Nile street and directing them to the intersection of the Arda Street, according to a field source. 

Preceding the takeover, the military had besieged the buildings from three directions, leaving only one exit unguarded but monitored by snipers. The seemingly empty point served to lure out any forces attempting to exit, especially under the pressure imposed on them due to limited food supplies, according to the source. 

Another field source from the Engineers Corps highlighted the involvement of suicide drones in the battle, alongside heavy artillery support from Wadi Sidna and the Engineers Corps' surroundings. Additionally, counter-jamming drones were developed, enabling the military to target a larger number of vehicles in the front and rear. The military confrontation ensued, leading the RSF to retreat. 

The capture of the radio and television buildings at the Mulazmeen neighborhood, the last Omdurman neighborhood under RSF control, marks a turning point across several levels, according to a senior military source in the Engineers Corps.

The development showcased the Engineer Corps’ effective utilization of their military capabilities, especially after being besieged since the outbreak of war on April 15. It also fully secured the Wadi Sidna military area, facilitating a significant military advance in Khartoum State, in Bahri and Khartoum cities, linking the military's main sites.

The military’s battles were not limited to Omdurman alone. Its artillery and suicide drones also targeted RSF positions in southern Khartoum and the vicinity of the Sports City and al-Azhari neighborhood, in addition to targeting their ammunition and logistical supplies.

According to a military source in the Armors Corps in the Shagara military area, south of Khartoum, the special operations forces successfully conducted a series of military raids in tandem with drone operations. Their primary focus was on eliminating a number of RSF combat vehicles, as well as targeting their ammunition stockpile and personnel. 

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Battles return in Babanusa and Fasher 

In the western front in North Darfur state, the city of Fasher returned to the forefront of clashes. According to a source in the Darfur government, the RSF launched a barrage of Katyusha rockets and mortar shells toward the military’s positions in the city’s northeastern region. This assault resulted in the death of seven citizens and the injury of five others. The Zamzam camp for the displaced also suffered partial fires due to the RSF’s shells striking several residences and schools overcrowded with displaced individuals.

Fasher, the last city in Darfur under military control, remains under the RSF’s siege, which has led to increased food prices, fuel scarcity and medicine shortages. Several of the main roads connecting Fasher to Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, have been cut off, and essential water sources have been compromised. Citizens told Mada Masr they are struggling to access clean drinking water, with the spread of epidemics and skin diseases due to poor sanitary conditions.

Fasher faces severe overcrowding, hosting over a million people since hostilities erupted on April 15.

In Babanusa, in West Kordofan State to the southwest of the country, the military repelled the RSF’s second attack so far this month. The RSF attacked the city from two axes, but the military inflicted heavy losses on them in equipment and personnel, compromising the RSF’s offensive advantages, according to a military source. 

The 22nd Infantry Division in Babanusa remains under the military’s control despite the attacks and pressure exerted by the RSF on the armed forces’ leadership and the leaders of the Messiria tribes. Both the Sudanese military and the RSF have personnel from Babanusa, which the RSF exploited to force the military to withdraw. The tribal leaders, however, resisted these calls, fearing attacks by gangs from South Sudan if the military withdrew. 

Despite some local leaders urging the RSF to halt military operations in the state, the RSF assistant commander, Abdel Rahim Dagalo, rejected their appeals and launched an attack on the city toward the end of last year and once more during this month.

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Justice and Equality Movement

In the longstanding volatile region of eastern Sudan, particularly along the Eritrean border, Sudanese Armed Forces Assistant Commander-in-Chief Yasser al-Atta arrived in the city of Kassala this week. This visit marks his second known trip outside Omdurman since the outbreak of the war, where he is leading battles to arrange for military campaigns on the eastern front. Delays in operations in eastern Sudan have sparked discontent among the citizens who have long awaited decisive action.

Atta’s purpose in Kassala was to oversee the graduation of new cohorts affiliated with the armed group Justice and Equality Movement led by Gibril Ibrahim, the finance minister and an ally of the military, as well as a former Islamist figure. While in Kassala, Atta reiterated criticisms against the United Arab Emirates while clarifying the military’s stance on the ceasefire. He echoed Burhan's repeated declarations stipulating the RSF’s withdrawal from Khartoum, Gezira and the Darfur region. However, he named designated camps where withdrawing RSF troops can assemble solely for the purpose of investigating individuals who have committed crimes. 

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Hamdok proposes convening “two generals” in Cairo, National Umma Party criticizes Civil Front for Democracy 

On the political front, after a visit by the Civil Front for Democracy’s delegation, led by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, to Cairo last week, the front has been plunged into internal conflict. 

Signs of discord, or at least heightened criticism, surfaced with the National Umma Party, one of the largest Sudanese parties and a member of the front, presenting its perspective on the front’s internal coordination. The party called for several reforms and set a two-week deadline for a response. The party’s stance is part of its historical tendency to differ in critical junctures with allied forces.

The front’s spokesperson Alaa Eddin Nugud stated that the front’s visit to Cairo involved discussions on several issues, particularly following Egypt’s significant positive participation in the Manama talks. Nugud noted that the Sudanese crisis resolution document, in all its 21 provisions, aligned with the front’s roadmap. It was agreed that the Sudanese crisis resolution is political, not military, with negotiations between warring parties being the sole pathway to crisis resolution.

Hamdok proposed that Cairo convene a meeting with the two generals of the military and RSF, emphasizing the need for Egypt to effect its role in halting the war in Sudan, according to Nugud. He added that given the war's repercussions on Sudan and neighboring countries, the discussions also addressed the situation of Sudanese refugees in Cairo, and the need for the Egyptian authorities to commit to addressing their presence and residency concerns.

The National Umma Party’s proposed vision for the Civil Front for Democracy will undergo close review within the front, according to Nugud. The party stated that a detailed proposal is expected within 72 hours, Nugud said, adding that upon receiving the proposal, a meeting will be convened within the front to examine the memorandum and formulate a response. He also noted that the front is a large alliance, and that diverging opinions on its structure and operations are natural, committing to open dialogue with the National Umma Party.

A senior Egyptian official previously told Mada Masr that Cairo has initiated arrangements to engage Hamdok and his associates, after previously opposing the former prime minister’s advancement in the political scene.

This initiative aims to ensure that Hamdok does not drift away from Cairo amid his contacts with the United Arab Emirates and Western powers, who have supported his return to the forefront of the political scene, the source added.