Media: Journalists among dead in drone attack on Sudan’s presidential palace

A drone strike targeted the presidential palace in Khartoum on March 21, resulting in multiple casualties, including journalists and soldiers, amid ongoing clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

According to Al Hadath TV, the attack killed and injured several individuals, including members of the Sudanese army and at least three media employees, per Caliber.Az.

A Sudanese military source confirmed that the journalists were reporting for Sudanese state television when the RSF launched the drone strike.

"The Rapid Support Forces militia targeted the Republican Palace with a one-way attack drone," the source stated.

The drone strike came just hours after the Sudanese army announced that it had regained control of the presidential palace and central Khartoum following intense battles with the RSF. The military also seized several ministry buildings in the area.

For weeks, the presidential palace and surrounding districts had been a major battleground between the army and the RSF. Clashes escalated on March 16 when Sudanese armoured corps units reached the military’s General Command and secured areas near the palace, cutting off RSF supply lines and isolating their forces in central Khartoum from reinforcements in the city's southern and eastern districts.

Sudanese army spokesman Brigadier General Nabil Abdallah hailed the military’s advances in a statement.

"In a historic and heroic victory, our forces today completed their successes in Khartoum, crushing the remnants of the Daglo terrorist militia in central Khartoum, the Arab Market, and the Presidential Palace buildings — a symbol of the sovereignty and dignity of the Sudanese nation — as well as ministry buildings," he said.

Abdallah added that the army had destroyed enemy fighters, captured large quantities of RSF weapons and equipment, and would continue operations to eliminate the militia presence.

"The military remains committed to achieving victory by clearing every inch of our land from the militia and its supporters," he asserted.

The attack on the palace marks another escalation in Sudan's prolonged conflict between the army and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023. The fighting has devastated Khartoum and other parts of the country, displacing millions and worsening the humanitarian crisis.

By Tamilla Hasanova