MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Sudan's army claims that country's civil war has reached a turning point after a major victory in the capital, Khartoum. The power struggle between the army and a paramilitary group has consumed Sudan - one of Africa's largest countries - for nearly two years, and the human toll of the conflict continues to rise, as Kate Bartlett reports from Johannesburg. A warning to our listeners - you will hear the sound of gunfire in her story.
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KATE BARTLETT, BYLINE: A moment of celebration for Sudanese army soldiers after they retook their military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, over the weekend. It had been besieged by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since 2023.
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ABDEL FATTAH AL-BURHAN: (Non-English language spoken).
BARTLETT: Addressing officers there, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan boasted the army was in its, quote, "best condition."
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BARTLETT: But across the country, civilians are still bearing the brunt of the brutal 21-month war. On Sunday, the World Health Organization said about 70 people had been killed in a drone attack on the last functioning hospital in the city of El Fasher, North Darfur.
ADEEB YOUSIF: Dozens of civilian were killed at the only hospital that is operating now.
BARTLETT: Adeeb Yousif is the former governor of Central Darfur.
YOUSIF: The situation in El Fasher for the civilian population is very challenging situation, and it's extremely difficult.
BARTLETT: It was not immediately clear which group carried out the attack on the Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital, though Niemat Ahmadi, president of the Darfur Women Action Group, blamed the RSF.
NIEMAT AHMADI: These are patients who are very helpless, seeking medical treatment, and most all of them are civilians. And this is not the first time.
BARTLETT: The U.S. and others say the RSF is committing genocide in Darfur. The army has also been accused of war crimes. The fighting in Sudan has displaced some 12 million people, says Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan.
CLEMENTINE NKWETA-SALAMI: What many people don't know is that the conflict has created the world's largest displacement crisis. It's bigger than Ukraine. It's bigger than Gaza.
BARTLETT: Hunger is affecting 25 million people, and more than half a million Sudanese are now facing famine conditions. Kholood Khair, a Sudanese political analyst, said even when there is food in the shops, inflation makes it incredibly expensive.
KHOLOOD KHAIR: Buying a gun is cheaper than buying a week's worth of groceries in some parts of the country.
BARTLETT: For NPR News, I'm Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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