Sudan's state TV said on Thursday that the army is close to taking control of the Presidential Palace in Khartoum from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, marking a significant shift in the two-year-old conflict that threatens to fracture the country.

Late on Wednesday, heavy clashes erupted near the palace, with explosions heard and air strikes by the army targeting central Khartoum, witnesses and military sources told Reuters.

The two military factions staged a coup in 2021, derailing a transition to civilian rule, and warfare broke out in April 2023 after plans for a new transition triggered violent conflict.

The war has led to what the UN calls the world's largest humanitarian crisis and widespread human rights abuses.