KHARTOUM, Sudan

The Sudanese army continued its advance in the capital Khartoum and the city of Bahri to its north, seizing control of several neighborhoods.

In a brief statement Monday, the army said its forces "advanced along the Kober Bridge axis, took control of Universal Hospital in Kober district and cleared the area of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, which had occupied infrastructure and used it as military bases."

With these developments, the army is moving closer to fully controlling Bahri and the East Nile area.

In Khartoum, the army has taken over the Abu Hamama neighborhood on Al-Sajana Street, located in the southern-central part of the capital.

According to eyewitnesses, the army dismantled RSF checkpoints along the street, a major artery leading to downtown Khartoum.

With the gains, the army now controls most of the neighborhoods in southern-central Khartoum, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

It currently holds most of Bahri and Omdurman, a city west of the capital, with some areas in central Khartoum, including the presidential palace, still under RSF control. Some neighborhoods in eastern and southern Khartoum remain contested.

In another statement, the army said its forces “achieved victory and crushed the RSF militia” in Ar-Rahad in North Kordofan state.

The army also shared videos on its official Facebook page showing residents of Ar-Rahad celebrating alongside soldiers after the city’s recapture.

The RSF has not issued a response to the army’s statement.

Ar-Rahad is the second city in North Kordofan that the army has reclaimed in two weeks, following its recapture of Umm Ruwaba, the state’s second-largest city.

The RSF seized Ar-Rahad in May 2023. The city lies about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan.

The army and RSF have been fighting a war since mid-April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.

Calls by the international community and the UN for an end to the war are mounting, with warnings of an impending humanitarian catastrophe as millions face famine and death due to food shortages. The conflict has spread to 13 of Sudan’s 18 states.