Implications of Sudanese Army Regaining National Radio Control

Sudanese Army Commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and army leaders sharing the Iftar with citizens in Omdurman (Sudanese Army)
Sudanese Army Commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and army leaders sharing the Iftar with citizens in Omdurman (Sudanese Army)
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Implications of Sudanese Army Regaining National Radio Control

Sudanese Army Commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and army leaders sharing the Iftar with citizens in Omdurman (Sudanese Army)
Sudanese Army Commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and army leaders sharing the Iftar with citizens in Omdurman (Sudanese Army)

Sudanese Army Commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan visited the Corps of Engineers Command in Khartoum, for the first time he had arrived in the center of the capital since his “ousting” from the army headquarters in August.

Al-Burhan’s tour followed the army’s announcement, on Tuesday, that it had regained control over the headquarters of the national radio and television, which had been under the grip of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for nearly a year.

On Wednesday, official platforms affiliated with the Sudanese army published photos and videos of Al-Burhan touring, on Tuesday, the Omdurman area, accompanied by citizens who expressed “overwhelming joy” at the army regaining control of the radio building.”

The RSF controlled large areas of Omdurman, including the southern and western neighborhoods, old Omdurman, the radio and television headquarters, as well as other areas, while the army was present in the north of the city, including the military zone and the Wadi Sidna military airport, in addition to the Corps of Engineers Command.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Political Analyst Mohammad Latif said: “The armed forces’ regaining the national radio preoccupied public opinion,” noting that there are those who disparaged the achievement on the geographical level, as they pointed to the large areas controlled by the RSF, while others saw it as a great victory as the national radio and television have their moral value and symbolism, in addition to their strategic and important location in Omdurman.

For his part, military expert and retired engineer Lieutenant Colonel Al-Tayeb Al-Malkabi, considered the developments in Omdurman “an important tactical progress, which links the area between the Wadi Sidna military region in the north and the Corps of Engineers command in the south,” stressing that “army bases and camps had become isolated islands with no land communication between them.”

However, Al-Malkabi noted that the army regaining the national radio does not have a “military and field importance,” but is only “a moral victory for the Islamist cadres participating in the war.”

He added: “It is just a strategic emotional battle, with no material impact, because it does not block the road between Mohandiseen and Wadi Sedna.”



Palestinians Hold Mixed Views as France Prepares to Recognize State

 Protesters hold a Palestinian flag during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Santiago, Chile July 25, 2025. (Reuters)
Protesters hold a Palestinian flag during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Santiago, Chile July 25, 2025. (Reuters)
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Palestinians Hold Mixed Views as France Prepares to Recognize State

 Protesters hold a Palestinian flag during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Santiago, Chile July 25, 2025. (Reuters)
Protesters hold a Palestinian flag during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Santiago, Chile July 25, 2025. (Reuters)

Palestinians expressed mixed opinions Friday after French President Emmanuel Macron said he would recognize a Palestinian state, with enthusiasm mitigated by the world’s failure to stem suffering in Gaza.

“We hope it will be implemented, and we hope that most or all countries around the world will follow France’s lead in recognizing the Palestinian people’s right to an independent state,” said Nabil Abdel Razek, a resident of Ramallah, home to the Palestinian Authority.

Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, the PA was intended to be a building bloc toward the establishment of a state.

At a newsagent in the central square of the West Bank city, several front-page headlines mentioned President Emmanuel Macron’s late Thursday evening announcement.

“All of these decisions not only affirm the rights of the Palestinian people, but also contribute to changing the violent reality in the region and lead to greater stability,” said Ahmed Ghoneim, a political activist, as he headed off to a demonstration in solidarity with Gaza.

Ghoneim said he also hopes France’s move will inspire other European countries, given that at least 142 of the 193 UN member states recognize a Palestinian state, according to an AFP tally.

But analysts are more cautious.

“The question for Palestinians is what will France do NOW about Israel starving them in Gaza,” Nour Odeh, a political commentator, wrote on X.

Others also agreed the main issue for Palestinians is Gaza.

“What France should have recognized is the genocide and taken measures to end it and end the occupation,” said Ines Abdel Razek, co-director of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD).

In an interview with AFP, she said France should cut relations with Israel and impose a trade embargo.

“An example of a brave gesture is the Colombian president asking his army to block boats transporting energy and arms to Israel,” she said.

While saying France’s promise is just “symbolic,” Samer Sinijlawi, another political activist, noted Macron’s call for elections in the Palestinian territories and said this “brings us hope.”