Sudanese army says it is close to retaking Khartoum from paramilitaries

The Sudanese army general command building bears traces of artillery shelling in Khartoum last month. Photograph: El Tayeb Siddig/Reuters

Sudan’s brutal civil war appears to be approaching a decisive phase as the country’s military reported sweeping gains in the symbolic battle for the capital.

As a ruinous conflict, often characterised by bloody stalemate, nears its two-year anniversary, the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) declared a string of rapid advances across the country against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).