Sudan Army Recaptures Khartoum’s Airport, Seeks To Liberate Capital

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 social media, saying 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 RSF’s last stronghold in Khartoum, the Teiba Al-Hasnab camp, army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdullah Ali said on social media.

There was no immediate RSF comment.

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

“This is a pivotal and decisive moment in the history of Sudan,” Information Minister Khalid Aleiser, spokesman of the military-controlled government, declared on social media.

“Khartoum is free, as it should be.”
Military control of the airport, along with calm in Khartoum, could allow aid groups to fly more supplies into the country where the fighting has driven some 14 million people from their homes and pushed some areas into famine.

At least 28,000 people have been killed, though the number is likely far higher.

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.

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.