Sudanese army says final phase to liberate Khartoum from RSF imminent
March 14, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – A senior Sudanese military commander said on Friday the army was on the verge of completing the third phase of military operations to liberate the remaining parts of Khartoum state from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the coming days.
On January 25, the army announced the completion of the second phase of military operations in Khartoum, linking its forces from Omdurman and North Bahri with troops stationed at the Signal Corps headquarters in the far south of Bahri city. The move officially ended the siege of the army’s General Command in central Khartoum, and the army also completed the full liberation of the Bahri and Sharq al-Nil localities, expelling the RSF.
The commander of the Sudanese army’s Armoured Corps, Nasr al-Din Abdel Fattah, speaking in an interview with Al-Hadath channel from the corps headquarters in south Khartoum, said: “We are in the third phase of military operations, which is the phase of uprooting the RSF from Khartoum state in the coming period.”
He confirmed that the army had destroyed the RSF’s core strength and that all of its main forces were now deployed to strategic locations in the capital, Khartoum.
“We are in the final meters of the battle of dignity, and we plan, by our calculations, to destroy all enemy forces in Khartoum state,” he added.
He noted that the RSF had strongly sought to control the army’s strategic headquarters by intensifying attacks on the site. “The RSF wanted to seize the Armoured Corps headquarters because of its symbolic value to the Sudanese people and its eventful and influential history in political life,” he continued.
When asked about the losses suffered by the Armoured Corps during the intense attacks, the military commander said, “The impact was minimal, and since the beginning of the war, we have worked to conceal and withdraw operational tanks.”
The RSF had led fierce battles in August and November 2023 to seize control of the Armoured Corps, but to no avail, suffering heavy losses in lives and military equipment. Recently, soldiers of the Armoured Corps were able to advance north and reach al-Hurriya Bridge in central Khartoum, a vital location linking the southern neighbourhoods of the capital with the city centre, where the presidential palace and other government headquarters are located.
Evacuation of Sudanese, foreign nationals
Abdel Fattah disclosed that forces from the Shajara military area and the Armored Corps had carried out evacuation operations for Sudanese and foreign nationals from South Sudan, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, and Egypt who were stranded in clash areas, transferring them to safe locations and then deporting them to their countries.
He accused the RSF of destroying and burning mosques, schools, hospitals, and factories, in addition to committing widespread violations against civilians, including killings, looting, rape, and forced displacement.
He pointed out that all soldiers in the Shajara military area were not fighting under a political banner. “All the forces are part of the army; they have no political banner. We are responsible for our country and do not need a foreigner or a mercenary,” he said.