Sudan’s army said Wednesday it had recaptured Khartoum’s international airport, and the military chief flew back to the capital for the first time in nearly two years of war, bringing the military closer to regaining full control of the city from the rival Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group.

Sudan's military leader, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has visited the presidential palace in Khartoum, after landing at the city's international airport, just hours after it was recaptured by the army.

The Sudanese army drove its rival Rapid Support Forces from most of Khartoum city, residents said on Wednesday, as the army chief toured the presidential palace and airport, marking a major military gain though the wider war looks far from over.