Scenes of urban combat from the past week in Khartoum

Analysis and geolocations of the fighting around Armored Corps

Sudan’s army repelled fresh assaults on the Armored Corps base Saturday and Sunday, according to the army spokesperson, just days after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) overran eastern portions of the base.

Fighting also persists in the Jabra North and Shajara Al Hamadab neighborhoods, south and southwest of the base, where the army so far have put up fierce resistance, unlike in eastern and northern neighborhoods where their outposts were overrun.

Any civilians still remaining in these areas face catastrophic conditions including lack of electricity, food, and cooking gas. The Al Shajara Al Hamadab Resistance Committee, in a joint statement with other resistance committees, said, “The shells have been randomly falling on citizens' homes since the first day of the rebel Rapid Support militia's attempts to seize the Armored Corps, causing a large number of injuries and deaths. The RSF continue to target mosques and houses, which led to the fall of 11 martyrs in one day. All the injured are inside the area and there are no means to treat them or evacuate them.”

Likewise, advocacy organization Emergency Lawyers in a statement August 27 said, “Civilians in Al Shajara Al Hamadab are exposed to many violations as a result of the ongoing battles, which led to deaths and injuries among civilians, their detention, and the lack of safe passages for their exit.” The lawyers called for the opening of safe passage to evacuate civilians, allowing the injured to be transferred to hospitals, and allowing volunteers safe passage to bury the dead.

Previous coverage

Previously, we published an article about the first day of the assault on Armored Corps on August 20, a Twitter thread about the second day of fighting, which included two maps (which are now somewhat out of date because the RSF has since pushed deeper into the base), a video showing the execution of a wounded prisoner-of-war, and an article about the execution of civilian prisoners at a military jail.

However, fighting has persisted at the base and we have since identified and analyzed many additional videos from the area. We share a selection of those below, including descriptions, geolocations, analysis, and the date of filming, where possible.

Sniper nests

Both the RSF and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) have placed snipers in mid-rise buildings around the base. These three videos show SAF snipers.

Similarly, this video shows a SAF soldier using a sniper rifle from behind a parked vehicle. He says the date is August 22, 2023, 15:30.

4th Division Infantry

Soldiers belonging to the 4th Infantry Division of Damazin. “Armored Corps has not fallen,” says the first speaker.

SAF earthworks

The soldier filming this from inside Armored Corps gives the date as Friday, August 26. There is a large smoke column and one gunshot is heard. He says they captured four land cruisers of the RSF. In the latter part of the video he identifies some of his fellow solders as “mujahideen of Faroukh Camp.”

RSF rush the wall

Possibly filmed August 21, after RSF used construction equipment to breach part of the eastern wall. But it could also be from a later date, during a second attack.

RSF climbing over a perimeter wall

Posted August 22 and likely filmed on that date or on August 21.

RSF troops scramble for cover

A large group of RSF in an alley come under fire, and the cameraman runs for cover. This was probably filmed in Jabra North, just south of Armored Corps.

Bodies of RSF soldiers in the road in Jabra North

📍15.5345003, 32.5157292

⚠️ Graphic and disturbing imagery

Very graphic (9 bodies of RSF soldiers), with loud shouting from SAF soldiers. This was filmed on August 22, 2023, according to the cameraman.

Street fighting in Jabra North

Filmed by the same soldiers who made the above video, this shows a SAF soldier firing a rocket propelled grenade (RPF). Based on other videos, RSF took over the nearby Khalid Health Center and eastern parts of Jabra North, but SAF still control parts of the neighborhood, with the exact frontline between the two sides unclear.

Burning tank outside the southeast corner of the base

📍 15.5367006, 32.5181163

Similar to a previously shared video, this shows RSF in control of the southeastern perimeter road. This is 400 meters northeast of the above fighting in Jabra North, but filmed two days earlier on August 20, 2023.

T-72 tank on the move inside Al Shajara

📍15.542448, 32.505354; date of filming unknown, posted August 22, 2023.

SAF had many tanks and armored vehicles at the Armored Corps base, but they haven’t played a decisive role in the battle, partly because of shortages of fuel and trained crewmen. Here is one tank seen moving in the southwestern part of the base.

SAF using Armored Personnel Carriers

August 23, 2023

Gunfire around SAF command post

Major General General Ayoub Abdelgader of the 17th Division (Sinja), speaking on the phone from inside a building at Armored Corps, August 22, 2023

SAF troops making coffee on the 3rd day of battle

August 22, 2023. Sounds of gunfire, explosions in the distance, and aircraft engines.

SAF technical armed with ZPU-23 firing inside Al Shajara

Filmed August 22 or 23 during a SAF counter-attack to retake part of the base.

RSF with a large number of captured tanks

Heavy smoke, gunfire. August 21, 2023. This video shows RSF capturing parked vehicles and a workshop near the central part of the base.

Member of the Armored Corps offers his view on the battle

This soldier belonging to the Armored Corps downplays RSF’s successes, saying they only captured old vehicles and didn’t capture the important parts of the base.

SAF re-occupying a group of buildings

SAF launched patrols on the morning of August 23 from the southwest of Armored Corps into the northwestern quadrant of the base, which they appear to have withdrawn from temporarily. A related video of this patrol was geolocated to 15.545945, 32.506027, near the headquarters building.

RSF at an occupied SAF position

📍15.547280, 32.517690

Members of the Rapid Support Forces at a building east of Armored Corps, which they say was occupied by SAF. There are many mattresses inside the building, and a burned armored car is visible from the balcony.

Positions of SAF near here were were overrun on August 20.