Fighting for Army Base Rages for Third Day in Sudan’s Capital Khartoum

Sudanese military factions battled for a third day over an army base in the capital, witnesses have said, as both sides struggle for advantage in a more than four-month war that has devastated the country.

After the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) circulated video of its soldiers claiming to have entered the base and captured tanks, army sources on Tuesday said they had managed to drive them out.

If the army were to lose the Armoured Corps base, its last stronghold in the capital, Khartoum, would be the army headquarters in the centre of the city.

Residents committees reported displacement and deaths among civilians during days of clashes.

The two forces have fought fiercely over bases and supply routes west of Khartoum in the Kordofan and Darfur regions.

The RSF has dominated on the ground since fighting broke out in Sudan on April 15, while the army, which has warplanes and heavier artillery, has maintained control of its main bases in the capital and in central and eastern parts of the country.

The army launched heavy air raids and met artillery fire as it tried to cut off an RSF supply line between Khartoum North and Omdurman, Khartoum’s sister cities across the Nile.

Outside the capital, battles have centred on Nyala, which is the capital of South Darfur and one of the country’s largest hubs.

At least 60 people had been killed and 50,000 have fled their homes between August 11 and 17, according to the United Nations, as fighting raged in residential neighbourhoods and water and electrical services were cut off.

About 500 children have also died from hunger in Sudan – including two dozen babies in a government-run orphanage in Khartoum — since April, Save the Children said on Tuesday.

The charity also said that at least 31,000 children lack access to treatment for malnutrition and related illnesses since it was forced to close 57 of its nutrition centres in Sudan.