In the early morning of September 26, Sudan’s army launched a major offensive to capture the capital Khartoum from the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Local outlets reported that the army sent in several infantry formations that crossed vital bridges that connect Omdurman to Khartoum, backed by air power and artillery fire.

The army captured at least one important bridge and took control of Souk al-Araby – a market in the heart of Khartoum, Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan reported on Friday. Several residents in the city told Al Jazeera the army had taken control of three major crossings in total.

The assault could be one of the army’s most significant operations since the Sudan war erupted in April 2023.

Since then, the RSF has been in firm control of most of the city and has been accused of committing abuses against the civilian population, such as looting markets and hospitals, uprooting residents and confiscating their homes and subjecting women and girls to extreme forms of sexual violence.

Reports of the army’s recent advances have brought some hope to civilians still living under RSF control in Khartoum, according to Augreis,*a human-rights activist who has been procuring aid and food for beleaguered civilians living under RSF rule.

“People are fed up with the militia,” she said, referring to the RSF.

However, she added that civilians were also frightened amid the continuing fighting.

“We have been nervous since 2:00am [00:00 GMT]. We heard all the sounds from all the types of heavy artillery [being used]  at the same time. [All the sounds and attacks are] coming from all directions along with the [sound of] fighter jets and drones,” she told Al Jazeera on Thursday.

Smoke billows during air raids in central Khartoum as the Sudanese army attacks positions held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) throughout the Sudanese capital on September 26 [Al Migdad Hassan/AFP]

Turning the tide?

Prior to the army’s recent advance in the capital, there were growing concerns among its supporters that it may not be equipped or able to defeat the paramilitary.

The lack of faith compelled thousands of Sudanese men to pick up weapons to protect their villages and communities from the RSF.

But now, with news that the army is fiercely battling to recapture the capital, there appears to be a growing belief among supporters of the army that the RSF could be defeated.

“There is a bond between the army and the Sudanese people. It is our soldiers and people that are in the army,” said Badawi, an activist in Omdurman, a city that forms part of the wider state of Khartoum.

Badawi added that there is “joy” among people living under the army in areas in Omdurman and that people view this recent operation as an “important step forward” to win the war.

Hajooj Kuka, the external communications officer for the Khartoum State Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), which is a network of local activists providing life-saving aid to civilians in RSF- and army-controlled areas, cautioned that it was too early to determine the balance of power in the city.

“The general feeling is that [the army] won’t take [Khartoum] over,” he told Al Jazeera. “All I know is that in areas where our ERR members are, the control didn’t change much.

Vying for legitimacy?

Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, recently spoke at the UN General Assembly in New York as the de facto authority in the country, where he said that a number of countries are sending weapons and supplies to the RSF.

He also said that the army is open to “peace” after the RSF ends its occupation. Regaining Khartoum could be a major step towards that goal, as well as signalling to the global community that the army is gradually regaining control over Sudan.

“The assault to retake the capital has begun by the [army]. [It is] coinciding with Burhan’s speech to the UN today. Feels like a coordinated approach to signal who the real authority in Sudan is,” tweeted Cameron Hudson, an expert on Sudan for the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington, DC.

Augreis, the human rights activist, said that many of her peers were indifferent about who ultimately controls Khartoum, and referred to accusations that the army has also committed human rights abuses, such as cracking down on aid volunteers and activists.

“Most of the … activists are neutral,” she said. “We know neither [the RSF or army] is going to do us any good.”

Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan Abdelrahman Al-Burhan addresses the UN General Assembly in New York City,  September 21, 2023 [Eduardo Munoz/Reuters]