Sudanese army tightens grip on East Khartoum, eyes key bridges
March 3, 2025 (KHARTOUM) -The Sudanese Armed Forces on Monday advanced to the Al-Manshia Bridge entrance, a key link between East Nile and Khartoum, after seizing full control of East Nile district. This area had served as a major Rapid Support Forces (RSF) stronghold for operations in Khartoum and Al-Jazirah states.
By doing so, the army secured a key access point to the capital. Eyewitnesses confirmed that Sudanese troops and allied militias reached the bridge’s traffic circle in the Al-Jireif suburb, part of the East Nile locality.
A Sudanese army general pointed to this advance and vowed to reach the Presidential Palace and Tuti Island in central Khartoum within the current month.
Abu Agla Keikel, commander of the Sudan Shield Forces, a militia allied with the army, was seen at the Manshia Bridge traffic circle in Al-Jireif. Army soldiers also circulated video clips showing their control of the strategic “Station 13,” a route leading to the Al-Nasr and Al-Huda districts.
“The armed forces and the Central Reserve Forces are advancing on the East Nile front and have captured important strategic positions after crushing the RSF militia in East Nile,” a military spokesman said in a statement.
The army’s slow advance in Khartoum is attributed to the heavy presence of RSF snipers in high-rise buildings. The army command is reportedly reluctant to destroy these buildings and prefers an encirclement strategy that cuts off supplies and isolates RSF fighters.
Thick smoke billowed into the sky due to fighting on Monday between the army and the RSF on at least three fronts in Khartoum State, witnesses said.
Field sources told Sudan Tribune that the army targeted RSF concentrations in southern Khartoum, the Haj Youssif suburb in the East Nile locality, and the area around the Manshia Bridge.
Following these strikes, army forces advanced on Monday in several areas of East Nile, retaking the headquarters of the Central Reserve Forces of the East Nile locality police. The army also penetrated the Al-Huda and Al-Nasr districts, nearing the Manshia Bridge. This move positions the army to assert complete control over the East Nile locality after its forces previously reached the Hilat Kuku neighbourhood and market via a separate route.
Fighting has been ongoing for several days around the Manshia Bridge, as the army seeks to control the eastern entrance to the strategic bridge, which links Khartoum and the East Nile locality.
In February, the army regained control of the eastern entrance to the strategically important Soba Bridge, connecting southern Khartoum and East Nile.
The Sudanese army’s Armoured Corps, which plays a crucial role in targeting RSF fighters sheltering in buildings, released video clips on Monday showing its forces positioned south of the Al-Hurriya (Freedom) Bridge, close to central Khartoum. The footage showed the army’s proximity to the city centre, with the buildings of the Arab Market visible.
Major General Nasr al-Din Abd al-Fattah, commander of the Al-Shajara military area and the army’s Armoured Corps, stated during an inspection of army defences at the Al-Hurriya Bridge that victory would be achieved in Khartoum and throughout Sudan during the month of Ramadan, a period he described as being historically associated with victories and perseverance.
The Armoured Corps commander pledged that army forces would reach the Presidential Palace and Tuti Island during Ramadan, saying that only a few meters separated his troops from crossing the Al-Hurriya Bridge and reaching the Presidential Palace.
Since the war erupted in mid-April 2023, the RSF has controlled the Presidential Palace and federal government headquarters. The paramilitary force had previously been responsible for their security. Two months after the conflict began, the RSF also seized control of Tuti Island, where the White Nile and Blue Nile merge to form the main Nile.