Sudan army recaptures presidential palace in Battle for Khartoum | BBC News

Key Concepts:

• Sudan Civil War: A conflict between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
• Presidential Palace: A key symbol of power in Sudan, recaptured by the Sudanese Army.
• RSF: The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, a key party in the conflict.
• Civilian Casualties: The significant impact of the war on the civilian population, including deaths and displacement.
• War Crimes: Accusations against both the Army and the RSF for atrocities committed during the conflict.

Recapture of the Presidential Palace

• The Sudanese Army has successfully recaptured the presidential Palace in Khartoum from the RSF.
• The Palace is described as an "important symbol of power."
• The recapture is considered a potentially "decisive turning point" in the civil war.
• The report shows "remnants of heavy fighting" inside the Palace.

Military Offensive and Army Advance

• The Army launched a "special operation" against RSF fighters in Khartoum.
• The offensive followed weeks of Army advances.
• Videos posted by soldiers show the "surge towards the palace."

Civilian Impact and Casualties

• The report emphasizes that "military success doesn't ease the civilian cost of the war."
• A specific example is given of a man and his wife killed by shelling while taking their child to preschool.
• Little Omnia was orphaned when a shell struck, killing her mother.
• The report highlights the terror and sadness experienced by civilians, especially children.
• The expanding graveyard is presented as a measure of the scale of death.

Accusations of War Crimes

• Both the Army and the RSF are "condemned for war crimes."
• The Army is accused of "mass killings elsewhere."
• The RSF is implicated in the deaths of those buried in the expanding graveyard.

Overwhelmed Health System and Mortuary

• Abdin Durma, who dug graves before the war, now does "nothing else" due to the high death toll.
• The health system is "overwhelmed by conflict," with bodies coming straight from the hospital.
• Durma reports burying "25, 30, sometimes 50 per day."
• People are dying from "bullets," "shelling," and being "killed sitting in their homes."

Future Outlook

• The Army believes it is "on course to retake the rest of the capital."
• However, it is emphasized that they "remain a long way still from winning the war."
• The "wounds of this conflict will continue to haunt Sudan."

Notable Quotes

• Neighbor of victims: Describing the couple killed by shelling.
• Relative of orphaned children: "We'll tell them exactly what happened about the shelling and the war...we will try to make up to them the affection of their mother and father."
• Unnamed woman: "We wake up and fall asleep to the sound of chilling the children are always in a state of Terror we are always in a state of sadness."
• Abdin Durma: "People die from bullets from shelling people are killed sitting in their homes there's so much death."

Conclusion

The report paints a grim picture of the ongoing conflict in Sudan, highlighting the Army's recent gains, particularly the recapture of the presidential Palace, but emphasizing the devastating impact on civilians and the accusations of war crimes against both sides. The overwhelmed health system and the sheer number of deaths underscore the severity of the humanitarian crisis, and the report concludes that the conflict's wounds will continue to haunt Sudan for a long time.