RSF: The SAF has yet to reach the Palace, and the fight continues

A high-ranking source in the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) told (Erem News) that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and its Islamist allies’ claims in regards to regaining control of the Republican Palace are “mere fabricated lies with no basis in truth.”

Violent clashes erupted between the two sides in Central Khartoum on Wednesday night, while pro-army platforms widely circulated videos and photos claiming that the Sudanese Armed Forces were on the outskirts of the Palace. However, the Rapid Support Forces denied those claims.

The source stated, “Our forces are still stationed inside the Republican Palace and will continue to fight,” adding, “We will defend our territory, and the battle is ongoing.”

The source, who requested anonymity, referred to the clashes as “the usual” battles that have taken place in Khartoum since the outbreak of the war two years ago.

The outbreak of clashes last night was accompanied by intense media propaganda from journalists and pages affiliated with the Islamist Brigades, reporting heavy losses amongst the Rapid Support Forces during their withdrawal from the Republican Palace.

The high-ranking source shared that the Sudanese Army and its allied militias continue to spread “fabrications and misinformation” throughout the war.

Dozens of recruits from Al-Baraa Ibn Malik Brigades, affiliated with the Islamist Movement, were killed over the past two days while carrying out infiltration operations into Central Khartoum in order to join the Sudanese Armed Forces at their Command headquarters.

Previously, the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo “Hemedti,” confirmed that his forces would fight in Khartoum until victory, and that they wouldn’t leave the Republican Palace or Al-Muqran area, which they control in the heart of Khartoum.

Other sources within the Rapid Support Forces shared that the RSF forces had managed to repel numerous attempts made by the Sudanese Armed Forces, supported by Islamist battalions fighting alongside them, over the past few days to advance deeper into the city and position themselves in areas south of the Republican Palace in Central Khartoum.

“We confronted and managed to expel these forces, we forced them to retreat, after inflicting hundreds of casualties amongst their ranks and wounding others,” according to the sources.

The Rapid Support Forces had previously denied that their forces were besieged in Central Khartoum and around the Republican Palace, noting that they were moving freely in the territory they controlled in the Sudanese capital and were strengthening their defensive positions around the area.

For months, the Sudanese Army has been seeking to seize control of Central Khartoum, aiming to cut off the military and logistical supply routes for the Rapid Support Forces, which control most of the city’s governorates.

The Rapid Support Forces still maintain their firm control over the eastern and southern neighborhoods of the capital, the Republican Palace, and important Sovereign sites in Khartoum. They also control four states in Darfur, excluding El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.

Hemedti accused the Secretary-General of the Islamic Movement, Ali Ahmed Karti, and a number of first-rank leaders in the ousted regime’s Party of allying with the current Military leadership and planning to ignite the (April 2023) war.