Map: Sudan army reclaims Khartoum Bahri, advances in East Nile
Intense fighting in Sudan's capital city
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have completed their takeover of Khartoum Bahri (Khartoum North) over the past week, after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) withdrew under pressure from the industrial area and the Kafouri residential district.
This marks the culmination of a nearly five-month SAF offensive that began with the capture of the Halfaya Bridge in late September 2024.
The nearly two-year battle for the city resulted in the killing, starvation, and wounding of thousands of civilians, and the displacement of a large proportion of the city’s total population of approximately 1.5 million.
The cessation of fighting in Bahri could allow some residents to return, but the collapse of the economy, lack of public services, and the physical destruction of many homes and buildings in the city will limit the number of returns.
Fighting has now shifted eastward into El Haj Yusuf and East Nile, suburbs northeast of the capital that are still densely populated, due to limited previous fighting in the region and the poverty of many residents, which makes fleeing too costly and difficult.
The precise extent of SAF’s gains in this region are difficult to assess. Fighting has taken place along the Garri Ring Road, and along the riverside road connecting Bahri and Hillat Koko Market, among other areas. The map indicates two possible axes of unconfirmed SAF advances.
As noted in our previous map update, SAF’s coordinated offensives are threatening the entire capital, but East Nile is particularly vulnerable, due to the lack of natural barriers to defend it, and fewer RSF troops in this area.
The RSF controlled most of Khartoum since 2023, at one point reducing the SAF control to two small enclaves that were surrounded and under serious threat. The tide has shifted, however, and the RSF are now on the defensive.
“Potentially, the RSF will withdraw behind the Blue Nile rather than opt to defend East Nile, which lacks significant political or military value.”
In southwest Khartoum, SAF seized territory on the “Armored Axis” (so-called because some of the troops fighting there belong to the Armored Corps, though by now most of the tanks and other armored vehicles are out of service), taking control of Al Hilla Al-Jadida neighborhood and a commercial corridor along Freedom Street. These gains, though relatively small in territorial terms, are significant because they bring SAF troops on this axis closer to linking up with the Mogran Axis and General Command. The new frontline now borders the Sajjana neighborhood on the east, about as far north as the National Medical Supplies Fund.
Most of Khartoum’s commercial and governmental buildings were abandoned already in 2023-2024, and the residential areas likewise are partly or mostly depopulated, particularly the areas closest to the center of the city, so fewer residents are impacted by this fighting, compared to the clashes in East Nile.
As one can see on the map, SAF’s Armored Axis is cut off by land from other SAF areas. Despite this, it can be supplied and reinforced by river from Omdurman.
Meanwhile, on the other fronts in central Khartoum, namely the Mogran Axis and the downtown (General Command sector), the RSF appear to be holding their lines. They still control the Presidential Palace, Arab Market, Al Neelain University, the Corinthia Hotel and certain other well-known landmarks throughout the downtown.
Possibly, SAF has made some incremental gains in the downtown, but we cannot confirm any significant changes in territorial control.
The key objective for SAF in this area is the Republican Palace. It would be a major symbolic victory if they could capture this. The RSF stormed the palace in the opening hours of the war, attempting to capture or kill the SAF commander-in-chief and de factor ruler of Sudan, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who escaped.
Currently, SAF troops are within 1-1.5 km of the palace complex. Several landmarks lie in the way, including the St. Matthew’s Catholic Cathedral, the Byblos Bank tower, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Meanwhile, south of the capital, SAF troops advancing from Al-Jazira State captured Giad Industrial City and the villages of Kab al-Jidad and Abu Guta, leaving the RSF in control of only Al-Bageir and few other small villages along the state border.
Simultaneously, in White Nile, south of Jebel Aulia City, SAF advanced toward Al-Giteina, though that is not shown on this map.
Videos
SAF troops take control of Universal Hospital, a position formerly used by the RSF to control the entry to Kober Bridge in Khartoum Bahri:
Pro-SAF video showing scenes of SAF fighters operating on the Armored Axis in southwest Khartoum:
Large numbers of (mostly empty?) ammunition crates abandoned by the RSF in Kafouri Block 5 after their withdrawal from the area:
RSF troops in East Nile on Garri Ring Road vow resistance to SAF’s advance in a propaganda video published February 12. The officer with grey scarf seen speaking was subsequently killed in combat, according to memorial statements on social media.
News in Brief
A deadly cholera outbreak in Kosti in White Nile State has overwhelmed local hospitals and prompted authorities to close schools.
An airstrike on Khazan Jadid town in East Darfur State killed 12 civilians and injured 17, according to a report by Darfur 24. The civilian society organization Darfur Victims Support condemned the attack, saying most of the victims were women and children and now fighting has taken place in that area.
Another air raid hit Al-Koma in North Darfur on Wednesday, February 19, killing a merchant and destroying some shops and stores. The city, which is controlled by the RSF but not near any frontline, has been bombed many times.
Security forces affiliated with SAF committed abuses against civilians after taking control of Ar-Rahad in North Kordofan last week, killing at least one civilian, shooting and wounding another, and beating others.
Norway’s Minister of International Development Åsmund Aukrust issued a statement expressing deep concern at a spike in civilian deaths in Sudan’s conflict, destruction of infrastructure, and unfolding famine. He also reiterated Norway’s call for a ceasefire, saying, “There is no military solution to this conflict. Norway’s position is consistent and clear: hostilities must end immediately. Sudan’s civilian population and their protection cannot wait.”
Joint Force troops repulsed a new attack on Zamzam Camp in North Darfur State. Previous RSF attacks killed many civilians and destroyed parts of the camp.
RSF troops in White Nile State are accused of killing mass numbers of civilians in indiscriminate shooting in villages around the town of al-Gitaina. Images of mass casualties have emerged, but precise circumstances of these events and the precise death toll so far are unclear.
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the European Union have signed a €16.5 million agreement to implement the "Enhancing Food Security and Resilience of Rural Communities in Sudan" project. This initiative aims to support livelihoods and strengthen food security in the conflict-affected states of Gedaref, Kassala, and Red Sea over the next four years. The project comes as food insecurity worsens in Sudan, exacerbated by the suspension of certain US-funded aid programs following an executive order issued by former US President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025.
A committee of the National Congress Party, the former ruling party, headed by Ahmed Haroun, is preparing to present its political vision for how to govern the country and address the post-war situation, according to Sudanese meida reports. Haroun is engaged in a leadership struggled with another NCP leader, Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid, who recently returned from exile in Türkiye.
SAF warplanes bombed Shangil Tobaya, 60 kilometers south of the North Darfur on Sunday, Febuary 9, injuring three civilians and killing a significant number of livestock, according to Radio Dabanga. Local residents reported that the airstrikes, which targeted the southern neighborhood, cemeteries, and surrounding areas, marked the third such attack on the town despite the absence of military presence. The Shangil Tobaya Emergency Room confirmed the displacement of 3,000 families from seven villages in the region.
