Sudanese army makes cautious gains in Khartoum, battling to rescue trapped civilians

Sudanese Media Forum: Joint News Room
Prepared and Edited by: Sudan Tribune

January 8, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese army is making slow but steady progress in Khartoum state, particularly in northern Khartoum Bahri, where it is engaged in intense clashes with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Amidst the fighting, the army is also working to evacuate civilians caught in the crossfire.

In Bahri, the army has advanced through the Shambat suburb, utilizing a strategy of manoeuvring through side streets to avoid RSF snipers positioned in high-rises along main roads like Al-Mo’na and Al-Inqaz. This tactic, similar to one used to break the RSF siege on the army’s Engineering Corps in Omdurman, aims to isolate snipers and force their surrender or retreat. The army has now reached a street separating Al-Safiya from Shambat, securing key locations like Al-Hijaz towers and Al-Mashreq University.

With each southward push, the army is evacuating civilians from Shambat to safer areas like Al-Droushab and Al-Kadaro. These operations are extremely dangerous, with soldiers often working under direct RSF sniper fire. In some places, the warring factions are separated by as little as 200 meters.

Army tactics and RSF defences

Early in the conflict, the army suffered heavy losses due to its reliance on rapid advances along main roads, which left them vulnerable to RSF ambushes. Now, the army has adapted by utilizing side streets and focusing on isolating RSF snipers.

A military source revealed to Sudan Tribune that RSF snipers remain entrenched in a five-tower complex of police officers’ residences overlooking key streets in the area. The source acknowledged that the southward advance will become increasingly difficult due to the density of high-rise buildings but affirmed that the army has strategies to overcome this challenge.

For its part, the RSF fiercely resists the army’s advance towards the Signal Corps, south of Bahri, which is crucial for maintaining its siege on the army’s General Command in Khartoum. An RSF counterattack on the strategic Al-Hijaz towers early Saturday was repelled with heavy RSF casualties. The source reported that the RSF utilized motorcycles and civilian vehicles in the attack.

The army launched airstrikes and artillery shelling at dawn on Saturday, targeting RSF movements north of Shambat.

Fighting in Omdurman and Al-Shigla

On the southern Omdurman front, the army has advanced towards Al-Shigla, a gateway to Omdurman Islamic University and the strategically important RSF stronghold of Al-Salha. Al-Salha provides access to western Sudan and serves as a major RSF base.

Employing the same tactic of advancing through side roads, the army has taken control of the Al-Dhahabi Building, a key five-story high-rise in Al-Shigla. This building, previously used by the RSF as a forward arming post and sniper position, offers a strategic vantage point. A road from this intersection leads west towards the Fattasha military training camp.

The RSF is reportedly using highly destructive drones to target vehicles in Al-Shigla to prevent the army from advancing towards the university. The RSF understands that if the army controls the university, it could retake Al-Salha and reach the Jabal Awliya reservoir.

Army units have evacuated civilians from Al-Shigla, many of whom had been trapped since the war began in mid-April. They were taken to schools in Al-Fitehab under extremely difficult conditions. Evacuees report facing severe food shortages, water and electricity cuts, and forced conscription of young men by the RSF.

Fighting has also intensified in Umbada, west of Omdurman, as the army approaching the major Libya’s Market. However, a fighter with the auxiliary forces told Sudan Tribune that protecting many remaining civilians poses a significant challenge.

Khartoum Fronts

A cautious calm prevails on the Al-Mogran and Armored Corps fronts in Khartoum. In September, the army crossed the White Nile bridges to Al-Mogran, neutralizing RSF snipers. Simultaneously, it advanced from the Armored Corps, taking Al-Lamab and nearing the Al-Rawad towers, another RSF sniper position.

Military sources indicate that further progress depends on a breakthrough in northern Bahri to link with besieged forces in the Signal Corps and advance towards the General Command. Breaking the siege would allow for troop rotation and new supply lines, creating a more effective combat axis and enabling a strategy of tight encirclement.

However, the large number of civilians trapped within the battle lines presents a major challenge, further complicated by increasing RSF accusations of civilian espionage for the army following each army advance.

This report is published simultaneously on the platforms of media institutions, organizations and newspapers that are members of the Sudanese Media Forum. #SilenceKills #NoTimeToWasteForSudan #StandWithSudan #SudanMediaForum