Sudanese army makes gains in last RSF stronghold in Khartoum Bahri

February 11, 2025 (KHARTOUM BAHRI) – The Sudanese army is making slow but steady progress inside Kafouri, the last stronghold of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum Bahri, aiming to reach the centre of the East Nile locality. This advance would be crucial in the battle to regain control of the capital, Khartoum.

Clashes have been taking place in the Kafouri area for days amid a noticeable lull in military operations on various fronts for the fourth day.

Kafouri is located east of Khartoum Bahri and is adjacent to the centre of the East Nile locality in Hallat Kuku, where RSF forces are heavily concentrated.

For days, the army has been fighting in the residential squares of Kafouri, facing difficulties because the residential area with tall buildings has been a fortified stronghold of the RSF since the outbreak of fighting in April 2023 due to the presence of these forces in the area since the war began.

According to field sources speaking to Sudan Tribune, the Sudanese army made further progress on Tuesday inside the Kafouri neighbourhood, the last stronghold of the RSF forces in Khartoum Bahri.

The sources said that the army and supporting forces controlled the fifth and seventh residential squares in Kafouri, and the clashes moved to the sixth and eighth squares. In contrast, the RSF forces withdrew west towards the industrial area and south towards Square 12 of Kafouri.

Soldiers affiliated with the Sudanese army Tuesday broadcast video clips showing the seizure of war equipment from the RSF forces inside Kafouri, including weapons, ammunition, and combat trucks.

The army’s heavy artillery also shelled RSF positions in Kafouri and areas of the East Nile adjacent to the upscale neighbourhood.

Over the past few days, the army has displayed heavy weapons and ammunition as spoils from the RSF, which were hidden inside the buildings of Kafouri.

In addition, the Sudanese army announced that the Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, inspected the troops in Khartoum Bahri, Al-Kadru, and Kafouri on Tuesday. Lieutenant General Yasir Abdulrahman al-Atta, a member of the Sovereign Council and Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, accompanied him.

The army plans to seize the entire Kafouri neighbourhood to reach the bridge, from which it will proceed to Hallat Kuku in the centre of the East Nile locality, which is a major market where RSF forces are deployed, and then on to Haj Yousef, Al-Nasr, Al-Maygoma and Al-Huda neighbourhoods.

It is noteworthy that the Kafouri neighbourhood and the Hallat Kuku area are vitally linked to three bridges leading to Khartoum, which are of paramount importance in the battles to control Khartoum. These are: the Armed Forces Bridge, which is under the shared control of the warring parties, and the Al-Manshiya and Soba bridges, which are controlled by the RSF forces.

The Kafouri neighbourhood is also adjacent to the industrial area of Khartoum Bahri, one of the largest industrial areas in Sudan, and is also a prosperous area, as most of its buildings are fortified and high, which the RSF forces used for positioning and as sniper hideouts.