According to military sources, the Sudanese army is currently surrounding Khartoum airport in an effort to dislodge the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from their last remaining position in the capital. Despite this, the conflict appears far from resolved.

Following fighting on Friday, the army took control of the state broadcaster’s headquarters, a significant symbolic achievement after two years of conflict that threatens to divide the country into areas controlled by opposing factions.

On Wednesday, the army announced that it had captured the Tiba al-Hassanab camp, located south of the capital. They described it as the RSF’s final base in central Sudan and their last stronghold within Khartoum State.

Military sources indicated that the army is in the process of encircling the airport, situated in the city center, and the surrounding areas. Witnesses reported that the RSF has concentrated its forces in southern Khartoum, seemingly to ensure a safe withdrawal from the city via bridges leading to the adjacent city of Omdurman.

The army’s recent successes in central Sudan, including regaining control of districts within the capital and other territories, coincide with the RSF’s strengthening of its control in the west. This is solidifying battle lines and raising the possibility of a de facto partition of the country.

The two-year-old war, which began during Sudan’s attempted transition to democracy, has triggered a major humanitarian crisis, described by the U.N. as one of the world’s largest, with famine and disease outbreaks reported in several regions.

The conflict has displaced 12.5 million people, many of whom have sought refuge in neighboring countries.

Previously, the army and RSF were uneasy allies, jointly orchestrating a coup in 2021 that disrupted the transition from the long-standing Islamist rule of Omar al-Bashir, who was removed from power in 2019.

They also fought together for years in the Darfur region under Bashir’s command.

The RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, evolved from the janjaweed militias of Darfur. Bashir cultivated the group to serve as a counterbalance to the army, which was headed by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, a career officer.

After seizing power jointly in 2021, the two sides clashed over an internationally supported plan aimed at initiating a new transition with civilian parties, which would have required both factions to relinquish power.

Key points of contention included a timeline for integrating the RSF into the regular armed forces, the chain of command between army and RSF leaders, and the issue of civilian oversight.

At the conflict’s start, the Sudanese army had superior resources, including air power. However, the RSF was more deeply entrenched in neighborhoods across Khartoum, enabling it to control much of the capital during an initial, rapid offensive.

The RSF also made quick advances to take control of its main stronghold of Darfur and over El Gezira state, south of Khartoum, which is a significant agricultural area.

With the army now strengthening its position in the capital, it is launching a renewed effort to solidify its control in central Sudan.