Sudan's Army Reclaims Khartoum After Two Years of Urban Warfare
Khartoum, 12 April 2026
Following nearly two years of devastating conflict, Sudan’s military has successfully driven the Rapid Support Forces from the capital, marking a crucial shift in the civil war that has claimed an estimated 400,000 lives since 2023. The prolonged urban battle transformed Khartoum into what authorities describe as a ‘city of graves,’ with residents forced to bury their dead in schools, mosques, and backyards when cemeteries became inaccessible. In July 2025, forensics teams collected approximately 23,000 corpses from streets and homes for proper burial. With over 12 million people displaced and international diplomatic efforts intensifying ahead of the 15 April Berlin Conference, this military victory represents a potential turning point in one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
The Grim Legacy of Urban Warfare
The recapture of Khartoum reveals the devastating toll of nearly two years of urban combat that began in April 2023 [1]. The conflict between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces has resulted in an estimated 400,000 deaths since it began four years ago, with over 61,000 casualties recorded in Khartoum state alone [1]. The fighting transformed the capital into what authorities now describe as a ‘city of graves’, forcing residents to establish makeshift burial sites in schools, mosques, backyards, and sidewalks when traditional cemeteries became inaccessible due to the violence [1]. This development follows ongoing diplomatic efforts, including recent African Union and UN initiatives to address the humanitarian crisis that has displaced over 12 million people [1].
Mass Grave Recovery Operations
In July 2025, Sudan’s State Forensics Authority, working alongside Civil Defense, the Sudanese Red Crescent, and neighbourhood committees, began the grim task of searching for mass graves throughout the capital [1]. Hisham Zain al-Abidin, head of the State Forensics Authority, described the horrific scenes his teams encountered during the recovery operation: ‘I saw everything: detainees, bound and executed. RSF militiamen buried with their bedroll as their shroud. Corpses half-eaten by dogs, cats, rodents, birds…This is war’ [1]. The forensics teams collected approximately 23,000 corpses from roads, homes, and looted areas, subsequently reburying them in proper cemeteries [1]. However, as of 11 April 2026, some graves remain untouched, including two near Omar Abdullah’s rented house in Omdurman [1].
Personal Stories of Survival and Loss
The human cost of the conflict is exemplified by individual stories of residents who endured the siege conditions. Mohammad Izzo, a school caretaker, buried his brother Hassan in the school’s backyard in August 2023 after Hassan was killed by shrapnel from artillery fire [1]. With the nearest cemetery located 14.5 kilometres away in Khartoum’s downtown district and travel deemed too dangerous due to RSF restrictions, Izzo had no alternative but to bury his brother on school grounds [1]. ‘There was so much artillery. Standing outside — like we’re doing now — just wasn’t possible,’ Izzo explained [1]. More than 20 graves eventually accumulated parallel to the school’s outer wall before Izzo stopped allowing additional burials [1]. Omar Abdullah, who fled El Fasher in June 2025 only to relocate to Khartoum, discovered two graves near his rented house but cannot afford the $200 cost to relocate each body [1].
International Diplomatic Response Intensifies
The military victory in Khartoum comes as international diplomatic efforts reach a critical juncture. UN Personal Envoy Pekka Haavisto is scheduled to travel to Berlin ahead of the 15 April Sudan Conference, emphasising ‘the urgent need to pursue practical measures to deescalate the conflict and ensure the protection of civilians’ [2]. This diplomatic push builds upon Haavisto’s recent groundbreaking visit to Khartoum, where he met directly with military leaders in a significant breakthrough for peace efforts. Plans are underway for fundraising campaigns to exhume and properly rebury the remaining corpses scattered throughout the capital in the coming months [1]. Izzo, the school caretaker, hopes the bodies can be moved when schools reopen and is waiting for government action to facilitate the process [1]. The recapture of the capital may provide the stability necessary for such humanitarian operations and could potentially influence the return prospects for the hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees currently in camps across East Africa [alert! ‘refugee return implications not explicitly stated in sources but logically connected to capital’s recapture’].