Sudan’s army says it has recaptured Khartoum’s airport as it seeks to liberate the capital

CAIRO (news agencies) — Sudan’s army said Wednesday it had recaptured Khartoum’s international airport and a key base of the rival Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, bringing it closer to regaining full control of the capital for the first time in nearly two years of war.

The military announced the seizure of the airport on Facebook, saying its chief, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, had landed there and inspected troops. It posted a video showing a smiling Burhan in a military helicopter descending to the tarmac, where some traces of wreckage were visible.

Troops also recaptured the Teiba al-Hasnab camp, the RSF’s last stronghold in Khartoum, army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdullah Ali said on Facebook. There was no immediate RSF comment on either announcement.

Sudan’s military on Friday retook the Republican Palace, the seat of the pre-war government. The RSF had held the palace, the airport and large parts of the capital since the war began in April 2023.

The RSF is still believed to hold scattered positions in Khartoum. But liberating the capital doesn’t end the conflict, as the RSF still controls parts of the western Darfur region and other areas.

“Long live the struggle of the heroic Sudanese people,” Sudan’s information minister, Khaled al-Aiser, said on Facebook.

The war erupted when the military and the RSF turned against each other in a struggle for power. Their battles around Khartoum quickly spread across much of the country.

For most of the war, Burhan and the government have been based in the Red Sea coastal city of Port Sudan.

At least 28,000 people have been killed since the war began, though the number is likely far higher. The conflict has driven more than 14 million people from their homes and pushed parts of the country into famine.