SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:
After nearly two wars of - two years of civil war in Sudan, the Sudanese military has taken control of the presidential palace in the country's capital. This happened after days of intense fighting with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, and could be a key turning point in the war. NPR's West Africa correspondent, Emmanuel Akinwotu, has been covering this and joins us now. Thanks for being with us, Emmanuel.
EMMANUEL AKINWOTU, BYLINE: Thanks. Good morning.
MCCAMMON: So if you could, just tell us more about what happened in the capital yesterday.
AKINWOTU: So the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, they've been advancing into Khartoum city for the last few months, literally taking it back street by street. And there were days of airstrikes and really intense fighting as the army were approaching the presidential palace - the palace complex. Then yesterday morning, there was footage filmed by soldiers who recaptured it, and it was broadcasted on state TV and just flooded social media.
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AKINWOTU: And they showed these scenes of triumph and just pure elation in the Republican Palace. It's been the seat of power in Sudan for almost 200 years. The grounds were battered. The soldiers were pouring in, praying, cheering, walking through broken glass and concrete everywhere, essentially entering this - the grounds for the first time in - since April 2023. And the army then announced they'd recaptured it officially and that they were advancing through the city. And clearly, right now, they feel they're closer than ever to taking the capital back.
MCCAMMON: So this seems at least like a major symbolic victory, but how does this change the course of this war? Is it now closer to an end?
AKINWOTU: Well, what it does is it cements the fact that SAF - the army - they have the upper hand, which many Sudanese people will welcome, even if they have very real fears about the army still. You know, this war broke out because of a power struggle between them and the RSF for control of Sudan, and both of these groups essentially launched a coup against the civilian-led government.
Most of the atrocities during the - this war has been committed by the RSF, and people are really desperate for them to be removed so that they can at least contemplate returning home. The RSF's control in central Sudan has essentially been collapsing. They're still moving to form a parallel government, which the U.S. and others have condemned. And they also still control large parts of Sudan, especially in the west, in Darfur, where the U.N. says they're committing a genocide.
I spoke to Kholood Khair. She's the founder and director of Confluence Advisory, a think tank in Sudan. And she said that the bigger picture is still bleak.
KHOLOOD KHAIR: What we have is an increasingly fragmented country that is facing continued state collapse and a famine of a scale that the world hasn't seen in 40 years or more. And so the military developments are really dwarfed by the humanitarian situation.
MCCAMMON: And that humanitarian crisis we hear about has been worsening in Sudan. Can you give us the latest?
AKINWOTU: Yeah. It's devastating, and it's still getting worse. Famine's been officially declared in about half a dozen areas, and that's likely to rise. One - a fifth of the country's population before the war have been displaced - 12 million people. And even amid the celebrations at the palace yesterday, there was still a reminder of just how delicate these victories are. The RSF launched a drone attack on the palace grounds amid the celebrations. Five people died, including three staff from the state broadcaster, who are only there, really, to report on this victory and this recapture. Two military officials were also killed, and one of them was a media liaison for the army.
MCCAMMON: NPR's West Africa correspondent, Emmanuel Akinwotu. Thank you.
AKINWOTU: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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