Sudan's army retakes Khartoum airport from rebels

SUDAN'S army recaptures Khartoum airport and surrounding areas, military sources said on Wednesday, marking another gain in its two-year-old war with a rival armed group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Sudan's army said in a statement it had also taken control of the Tiba al-Hassanab camp in Jabal Awliya, describing this as the RSF's main base in central Sudan and its last stronghold in Khartoum. Read more here below.

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Report from BBC News
By Barbara Plett Usher
BBC News, Port Sudan
Dated Wednesday, 26 March 2025 - full copy:

Sudanese army recaptures Khartoum airport from civil war rivals

Image source, AFP. Image caption, Civilians have been celebrating the army's recent territorial gains, from the presidential palace to the airport in the capital Khartoum

The Sudanese army has told the BBC it has recaptured the airport in the capital, Khartoum, from the paramilitary RSF, marking its latest territorial gain in the brutal two-year civil war.

Gen Mahomed Abdel Rahman al-Bilawi said troops had fully secured it and might be able to clear the rest of the RSF fighters by the end of day.

The army has been moving swiftly since recapturing the presidential palace on Friday, and civilians have been celebrating in the streets as it advances.

The RSF had controlled most of the capital since the war began in April 2023. Nationwide, hundreds of thousands have been killed, and millions have been forced to flee their homes.

An army spokesperson told the BBC that troops have seized Manshiya Bridge, the last RSF-held bridge, along with a military camp in the group's southern stronghold.

But the war is far from over.

The RSF still holds almost all the Darfur region in western Sudan, where earlier this week, eyewitnesses said dozens of civilians were killed when the air force bombed a market.

View original: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2g0ppj9lyo

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Related

Report from AP

By Associated Press

Dated Wed, 26 Mar 2025 Updated 1:49 PM GMT

Sudan’s military captures key RSF base as it consolidates control over Khartoum area

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s army said Wednesday it had recaptured a camp which was being used by the rival Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group as a key base during its hold on the capital, Khartoum.

The development brings the military a step closer to declaring the capital fully liberated as it continues its advance toward key locations, including the airport. Troops last week retook the Republican Palace, which had been a stronghold of the RSF during the war that began in April 2023.

The Teiba al-Hasnab camp was the RSF’s last stronghold in Khartoum, army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdullah Ali said in a post on Facebook.

Full story: https://apnews.com/article/sudan-khartoum-army-rapid-support-forces-76b105423863fdc2e9243ceb54435033

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Report from RFI (Radio France Internationale)

Dated Wed, 26 Mar 2025 - 14:05

Sudanese army retakes Khartoum airport from rebels

The Sudanese army recaptured Khartoum airport and surrounding areas, military sources said on Wednesday, marking another gain in its two-year-old war with a rival armed group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Sudan's army said in a statement it had also taken control of the Tiba al-Hassanab camp in Jabal Awliya, describing this as the RSF's main base in central Sudan and its last stronghold in Khartoum.

The army secured both sides of Manshiya bridge, which crosses the Blue Nile in Khartoum, leaving the Jabel Awliya bridge just south of the capital as the only crossing out of the area still under RSF control.

Full story: https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20250326-sudanese-army-retakes-khartoum-airport-from-rebels

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Civilians fleeing war in Sudan to Uganda give harrowing testimony to UN Fact-Finding Mission

MEMBERS of the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan expressed concern about the escalating impact of the conflict on civilians after meeting about 200 people from almost all states of Sudan during a visit to Uganda from 1 to 18 December 2024. The experts:

• commend the Ugandan authorities for opening their borders to Sudanese and other refugees and supporting them where possible, including with humanitarian assistance.

• call on international community to support Uganda and other countries hosting large numbers of Sudanese refugees to ensure the refugees have access to basic facilities, including nutrition, healthcare, hygienic needs, education and live in humane conditions and with dignity. 

Note that these refugees are able to exercise freedom of expression, association and movement. As a result, Uganda has become a main hub for Sudanese civil society and human rights defenders. Read full story below.

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Press Release
By UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Dated Thursday, 19 December 2024 - full copy:

Civilians fleeing war in Sudan to Uganda give harrowing testimony to United Nations Fact-Finding Mission

GENEVA – Dozens of men, women and children who fled Sudan have offered vital testimony about the country’s deadly conflict to human rights experts visiting a settlement camp in neighbouring Uganda.

Members of the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan expressed concern about the escalating impact of the conflict on civilians after meeting about 200 people from almost all states of Sudan during a visit to Uganda from 1 to 18 December. 

“Instead of contributing positively to the rebuilding of Sudan, millions of Sudanese refugees are trapped in dire conditions in camps and settlements in neighbouring countries as the conflict rages on,” Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the Fact-Finding Mission, said. “They have no means or employment while waiting desperately to be able to return to their home country.”

Visiting a location for new arrivals in Kiryandongo, Uganda, which hosts more than 50,000 refugees mostly from Sudan and South Sudan, the experts met refugees from the capital Khartoum as well as Blue Nile, Darfur, Gezira, Kordofan and White Nile, and observed first-hand their dire circumstances, as the conflict enters a new phase moving eastward.

The visit also shed light on key incidents, including the siege of El Fasher city and its surroundings in North Darfur since April 2024. The Fact-Finding Mission collected harrowing testimonies of widespread destruction, killings, rape and other sexual violence. The siege has been accompanied by relentless shelling between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), impacting civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, and resulting in catastrophic humanitarian conditions.

The experts further heard from Sudanese women about the huge challenges they had faced and their suffering before reaching Uganda.

Several women highlighted an increase in miscarriages, while others had been disproportionately hit by airstrikes or shelling directed at markets, both as vendors, and as they were obtaining essential supplies for their families. Women also reported sexual harassment, including by individuals wearing RSF uniforms, and speaking foreign languages. Many women spoke about their desire to shape the future of Sudan and not to leave the future of the country in the hands of the warring men.

“The women and children of Sudan are not only the main victims of this senseless conflict, but they also hold the key to a peaceful and dignified life for all Sudanese,” Mona Rishmawi, a member of the Fact-Finding Mission, said. “They must have a seat at any negotiations as equal stakeholders.”

About half of Sudan’s population - nearly 26 million people - are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, with nearly three million facing acute hunger. Over 11 million civilians have been displaced internally, and nearly three million refugees have fled the country. This includes 64,000 who have fled to Uganda since the beginning of the current conflict in April last year.

“The sheer figures about hunger and displacement reemphasize the imperative of inquiring into the root causes of the violence and promoting accountability for the atrocity crimes to ensure that the cycle of violence ends,” Mr. Othman said.

The Fact-Finding Mission heard from the refugees that they faced gruelling journeys marked by numerous checkpoints where they were interrogated, detained and accused of collaborating with the opposite warring faction. Many were stripped of all possessions, including cash and mobile phones, with some forced to beg at mosques and appeal to charities to afford transportation out of the country.

The experts also heard of the challenges faced by persons with disabilities who endured displacements without access to necessary support or services. Individuals with mobility impairments recounted the extreme difficulties of fleeing conflict zones without adequate accommodations or assistance. Those with hearing impairment faced violence at checkpoints, being accused of spying for the other side.

The experts spoke to several Sudanese who fled the Gezira state, who described rape, forced labour, and other serious human rights and international humanitarian law violations, largely perpetrated by the RSF. Pillage and looting targeting civilian households and farms by the RSF have also exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Gezira state. The SAF also caused significant human casualties with aerial bombardments of civilian areas.

The experts commend the Ugandan authorities for opening their borders to Sudanese and other refugees and supporting them where possible, including with humanitarian assistance. Particularly welcome is the ability of these refugees to exercise freedom of expression, association and movement. As a result, Uganda has become a main hub for Sudanese civil society and human rights defenders.

Sudanese refugees can enter the job market and access health care and education in the same way as Ugandan nationals. Despite being highly skilled, however, their ability to benefit from this generosity is limited by economic and language barriers, and the inability to provide documentation to prove their qualifications due to their rapid displacement.

“Therefore,” expert Joy Ngozi Ezeilo said, “the Fact-Finding Mission Sudan calls on the international community to support Uganda and other countries hosting large numbers of Sudanese refugees to ensure that the refugees have access to basic facilities, including nutrition, health care, hygienic needs and education, and that they can live in humane conditions and with dignity.”

The Fact-Finding Mission Sudan also visited Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where it engaged in constructive dialogue with the African Union and UN agencies. This is in line with its mandate to work with other national, regional and international efforts to address the human rights and international humanitarian law violations, and related crimes, in Sudan and advance peace, justice and accountability.

Background: The Human Rights Council established the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan in October 2023 with resolution A/HRC/RES/54/2, and extended its mandate until October 2025 with resolution A/HRC/RES/57/2. 

Its key task is “to investigate and establish the facts, circumstances and root causes of all alleged human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, including those committed against refugees, and related crimes in the context of the ongoing armed conflict that began on 15 April 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, as well as other warring parties.” 

The Fact-Finding Mission is also mandated to collect and analyze evidence in view of any future legal proceedings; to identify, where possible, individuals and entities responsible; and to make recommendations with a view to ending impunity and ensuring accountability and access to justice for victims and survivors. The three experts were appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council in December 2023. 

The Fact-Finding Mission presented two reports to the Human Rights Council in September (A/HRC/57/23) and October 2024 (A/HRC/57/CRP.6), respectively. The September report was also transmitted to the UN General Assembly. 

For media queries, please contact: Todd Pitman, Media Adviser for the UN Investigative Missions, todd.pitman@un.org / (+41) 76 691 1761; or Pascal Sim, Human Rights Council Media Officer, simp@un.org / +41 79 477 4411.

View original: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/12/civilians-fleeing-war-sudan-uganda-give-harrowing-testimony-united-nations

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Related Report

Sudan Watch - Dec 04, 2024

Uganda welcomes Sudanese refugees with a plot of land to live & farm, 5-year residency, school education

Over 60,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to Uganda where, reportedly, asylum processes are dealt with swiftly. Once new arrivals have registered with the UNHCR in Uganda, they are granted a five-year residency permit. ...

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2024/12/uganda-welcomes-sudanese-refugees-with.html

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Map showing the situation in Sudan as of 01 Aug 2024

THANKS to @ThomasVLinge for #Sudan map update showing the situation in Sudan as of 01 August 2024: "In the month of July the RSF continued its advance along the Blue Nile and around Singa, reaching the #SouthSudan border and the crossing the Dinder river."

Red: Sudanese Armed Forces (Burhan)

Yellow: Rapid Support Forces (Hemedti)

Dark Green (Rebels): Pale blue SPLM-N (El-Hilu) plus Dark blue SLA (Abdul Wahid El Nur)

Pale green: Darfur Joint Force (Minnawi & Ibrahim) 

Turquoise: SSPDF* (South Sudan)

*SSPDF presence is limited to the Abyei Area, the final status of which is yet to be determined. 

Download larger file: https://mediafire.com/file/q3myqc3c0yxg0l8/2000px-Sudan.png/file

Source: https://ko-fi.com/thomasvlinge

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Sudanese killed and raped in Ethiopia camps. Ethiopia is one of largest refugee-hosting countries in Africa

Two Sudanese people were killed and six raped in Kumer refugee camp in Ethiopia recently, while others were robbed and kidnapped. Hundreds of refugees have reportedly been struggling to get food, water, and shelter until they are transferred to permanent camps. 

A refugee from Kumer camp said that they had not received food aid for six months. The WFP began distributing food 3 months ago, consisting of half a litre of oil, salt, and 10 kilos of unground wheat. “Unfortunately, the quantities are insufficient and unfit for direct use. We need to grind wheat in mills in neighbouring areas, which costs money,” she said. 

The lack of drinking water in Kumer camp has also exacerbated peoples’ suffering, forcing people to dig for water which is quickly depleting. 

Read more from Radio Dabanga
Dated Tuesday, 20 February 2024 13:43 AMHARA - here is a copy in full:

Sudanese killed and raped in Ethiopian refugee camps 

Two Sudanese people were killed and six raped in Kumer refugee camp in Ethiopia recently, while others were robbed and kidnapped. Hundreds of refugees have reportedly been struggling to get food, water, and shelter until they are transferred to permanent camps. 

Kemur, Matama, and Ulala camps highlighted on UNHCR Ethiopia operational overview published on January 15 (Map: UNHCR)

A refugee from Kumer camp, who declined to be named for security reasons, told Dabanga that various shooting incidents have occurred in the camp recently, killing two refugees. Two girls were raped last week and four others the week before. 

Several refugees have been kidnapped and an ambulance belonging to the camp has also been stolen, she said.  

“We cannot go more than four kilometres away from the camp due to the dire security situation,” she said. “There have been repeated armed attacks on the camp and things were stolen. There is poor security and no external fence.” She said the authorities had not been able to address the security issue. 

Aid services 

Following the theft of the ambulance, there is no way to treat critical cases in the camp, especially pregnant women, the refugee told Dabanga. There is a volunteer midwife in the camp, but she does not have basic first aid supplies such as gauze, needles, or thread. 

The health unit in the camp only works part-time and is only able to access painkillers and antibiotics, she said, adding that “health interventions have slowed the outbreak of cholera, however, the camp environment is very poor.”

The refugee said that they had not received food aid for six months. The World Food Programme began distributing food three months ago, consisting of half a litre of oil, salt, and 10 kilos of unground wheat. “Unfortunately, the quantities are insufficient and unfit for direct use. We need to grind wheat in mills in neighbouring areas, which costs money,” she said. 

The lack of drinking water in Kumer camp has also exacerbated peoples’ suffering, forcing people to dig for water which is quickly depleting. 

Refugees in Ethiopia 

Kumer camp is 70 kilometres from El Gedaref border in Amhara. It was established on May 30 and hosts about 8,000 refugees, including about 4,000 Sudanese people.

There are 27,000 Sudanese refugees at the Refugee Reception and Transit Centre in Matama in Amhara, which is on the border of El Gedaref. Ethiopia’s Amhara region is witnessing security unrest and armed confrontations between the central government and local militias in the region. Most Ethiopians in the area carry weapons, leading to increased abuses, according to sources of Dabanga.

The Ethiopian authorities also host Sudanese refugees in Ulala border camp in Amhara, east of Kumer camp, where protests were held on August 16 over the lack of food and medicine provided.

An estimated 20,000 Sudanese people live at Assosa refugee camp in Benishangul-Gumuz on the border of Blue Nile region.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 100,000 people have crossed into Ethiopia from Sudan, including about 47,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, since April. These come in addition to some 50,000 Sudanese refugees already in the country. The Sudanese community in Ethiopia estimates that about 60,000 people have entered Ethiopia after the outbreak of the war in Sudan last year. 

Ethiopia is one of the largest refugee-hosting countries in Africa, with nearly 1 million refugees in addition to 3.5 million displaced persons. Sudanese crossing into Ethiopia are reportedly forced to pay US$80 in visa fees, after which the Ethiopian authorities oblige them to pay US$80 a month to renew their residency. 

View original: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/sudanese-killed-and-raped-in-ethiopian-refugee-camps

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