LONDON: When the Sudanese Armed Forces recaptured Khartoum from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in late March, soldiers and many of the capital’s remaining residents took to the streets to celebrate.
The RSF, which seized the city soon after the civil war erupted in April 2023, had ruled with an iron fist. When its fighters were finally dislodged, much of the population was glad to see the back of them.
There was even hope that the army’s victory could mark a turning point in the conflict, setting in train a series of events that would lead to an end to the fighting. Such optimism, however, looked misplaced as the rest of the world welcomed 2026.
Displaced Sudanese civilians at Um Yanqur camp. (AFP/File)
Seven months after the SAF had reclaimed Khartoum, RSF fighters unleashed a fresh wave of violence against the population of another city, El-Fasher, 800 kilometers away on the other side of the country.
