Battle for Khartoum: Sudanese Government Forces Launch Fierce Counterattack Against Rebel Insurgents
Sudanese Government Forces Launch Airstrikes to Retake Khartoum
Sudanese government forces have launched large-scale shelling and airstrikes in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, in an attempt to retake the city from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
General Abdel Fattah Burhan, head of the Sudan government army, speaks at the United Nations General Assembly held in New York, USA on the 26th. [UPI News]
The airstrikes took place ahead of a speech by General Abdel Fattah Burhan, head of Sudan’s military, at the United Nations General Assembly held in New York, USA. Sudanese government forces lost most of Khartoum to RSF in the early stages of the Sudanese civil war, which broke out on April 15 last year.
Government forces recaptured parts of Khartoum’s satellite city of Omdurman earlier this year, but most of Khartoum is still controlled by the RSF. According to witnesses, heavy fighting broke out with RSF forces as government forces crossed the bridge connecting Khartoum with nearby cities.
A government military source said, “Army troops crossed the bridge,” but RSF said, “They blocked the government forces’ attempts to cross the bridge.” General Burhan defined RSF as a rebel group in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly that day.
He said, “The conflict can be resolved peacefully if the rebels abandon their weapons and withdraw from the occupied territories.” He then claimed, “There are countries that provide funds, weapons, and mercenaries to the rebels,” and added, “As the government army is the only legitimate army in Sudan, this support must stop immediately.”
According to foreign media reports, RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said in a live message immediately after General Burhan’s speech, “We are ready to implement a ceasefire with government forces and provide humanitarian assistance.”
Sudan is facing a humanitarian crisis due to not only bloodshed following the armed conflict between government forces and RSF last year, but also recent famine and floods. Tens of thousands of people died across the country due to the conflict between the two sides, and the number of refugees exceeded 13 million.