2.1.1. Actors involved and territorial control

During the reference period, the SAF gained control of the entire Khartoum state by late May 2025 and retained it thereafter.491

The SAF offensive on Khartoum492 involved the SAF and aligned forces, including Popular Resistance,493 the Darfur Joint Forces, the Sudan Shield Forces (SSF), and other militias.494 Another significant SAF-aligned force was the Islamist-linked Al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade. The militia played a key role in the battle for Khartoum,495 but has repeatedly resisted integration into SAF command structures.496 As of July 2026, an article by AFP mentions the presence of Darfur Joint Forces and Al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade fighters in Khartoum state.497 Neighbourhood defence units have also emerged across Khartoum and were reportedly operating increasingly outside SAF oversight.498 The SAF reportedly sought to restore order in Khartoum since retaking the capital; however, sporadic shootings have continued amid the widespread presence of arms and armed groups.499

  • 491

    UN Human Rights Council, Situation of human rights in the Sudan – Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, A/HRC/61/24, 13 January 2026, url, para. 10; AP, Sudan’s military says it took full control of Greater Khartoum region that includes the capital, 20 May 2025, url; Sudans Post, Territorial Control Map – Sudan Conflict (as of June 21, 2026) [Map 1], 22 June 2026, url

  • 492

    Netherlands (The), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Country of Origin Information Report on Sudan, December 2025, url, pp. 38-39; ACLED, Two years of war in Sudan: How the SAF is gaining the upper hand, 15 April 2025, url

  • 493

    Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Mapping the Armed Actors in the Sudan Conflict [Map], 7 July 2026, url

  • 494

    Ayin Network et al., Sudan Conflict Monitor # 19, 28 April 2025, url, p. 3; Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Mapping the Armed Actors in the Sudan Conflict [Map], 7 July 2026, url

  • 495

    Eureporter, Khartoum: A ruined capital controlled by Sudan's Islamists, 4 September 2025, url

  • 496

    Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Mapping the Armed Actors in the Sudan Conflict, 7 July 2026, url

  • 497

    AFP, Surrounded by militias, Sudanese fear endless cycle of war, 23 July 2026

  • 498

    Eureporter, Khartoum: A ruined capital controlled by Sudan's Islamists, 4 September 2025, url

  • 499

    Sudan Tribune, Sudan’s Security Council orders crackdown on armed presence in cities amid recurring incidents, 19 May 2026, url