The fighting in Khartoum has devolved into a brutal, close-quarters urban conflict, with the city’s most critical infrastructure at the center of the violence. The conflict, which began on April 15, 2023, is defined not by traditional front lines but by a strategic paramilitary assault aimed at seizing control of key government and military installations. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) initiated the offensive with a clear objective: capture the Khartoum International Airport, multiple military bases, and the presidential palace.
This coordinated targeting of three essential locations reveals the RSF’s intention to execute a coup d’état rather than engage in a prolonged military campaign. By taking the airport, the RSF aimed to prevent the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) from receiving reinforcements and supplies.
Attacking military bases was designed to weaken the army’s capacity to operate within the city, while seizing the presidential palace represented a direct challenge to the seat of government. The strategy was to decapitate the state in one swift move. Tensions escalated rapidly in the days before the assault.
On April 13, 2023, RSF forces began mobilizing in Khartoum and the northern city of Merowe. The SAF observed these movements and issued a statement that same day, acknowledging “a possibility of a confrontation between SAF and RSF forces.” This cautious language reflected growing concerns that the fragile peace between the two armed groups was about to collapse.
The warning proved accurate when, on the evening of April 14, the RSF launched a coordinated attack on the airport, a military base, and the presidential palace. The ensuing combat has been described as grueling, with both sides locked in a grinding urban war. The RSF’s initial gains gave them a foothold within the city, but maintaining control against a determined SAF counteroffensive presents a significant challenge.
The battle for Khartoum now hinges on whether the RSF can consolidate its seizure or the SAF can break it. For civilians, the consequences are immediate and severe.
The fighting occurs in residential neighborhoods, near hospitals, and along escape routes. The report highlights a high risk of civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure. Every airstrike on a military base impacts nearby apartment buildings, and every RSF patrol around the presidential palace places entire districts under fire.
Control of Khartoum remains uncertain. The RSF’s opening move was bold, but a successful coup requires more than capturing key buildings—it demands holding them against the full force of the national army.
The SAF possesses superior numbers and heavy weaponry, while the RSF relies on mobility and the element of surprise. The conflict that started on April 15 will determine which force can endure the horrors of urban combat longer. The city itself is the prize, and it is being torn apart in the struggle for it.
