Many Sudanese civilians welcomed the Army as liberators as it was promoted in the capital Khartoum to overthrow the Paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF).

But activists on the ground say both sides are increasingly resorting to cruel tactics, which exacerbates the humanitarian crisis.

On February 1, paramilitary forces opened fire on Omdurman's crowded market, killing at least 56 people.

A week later, the RSF detained two local relief workers, as well as the manager of the last hospital in Khartoum, located in the historically marginalized “Southern Belt”, a minority in the outer part of Sudan, mainly living on-site.

Al Jazeera cannot verify the fate of these three people.

Meanwhile, the Army is facing tougher resistance from the RSF in central Khartoum and the vast Sharq El-Nile (East Nile) region. Militants on the ground told Al Jazeera that it was responding to partial siege of these urban areas.

“Currently, the city is besieged…and the only way out is to go west to Khartoum.

“Many families are trying to get out this way,” they told Al Jazeera.

Breakthrough and joy

Since April 2023, the RSF and the Army have been in a brutal conflict over their control over the country.

The conflict has caused "the world's biggest humanitarian crisis", with tens of thousands of people believed to have died of armed violence, and about 12.5 million people have been evacuated from their homes.

Nationwide, the RSF seized people’s land and homes after expelling indigenous communities and residents.

After the Army's advances in northern Khartoum and Omduman - two of the three cities that make up the Khartoum national capital region, thousands of RSF fighters abandoned the houses they occupied, and Escape to their traditional stronghold Darfur.

Local activist and relief worker Montasser* told Al Jazeera that many displaced people gradually returned to their home in Omdurman, ecstatic that the army had kicked the RSF out.

However, he noted that many people remain displaced because their homes (and sometimes even the entire community) were severely damaged or destroyed.

"Many people lost their homes, everything inside the house was robbed by the RSF. Most importantly, there is no water or electricity nearby, they don't have the internet... In some cases, the army still has to clean up the bodies from the streets." Taser said.

Some people are worried about revenge

Activists say thousands of civilians have fled Khartoum in recent weeks for fear that the army and its allied combatants would kill them.

The Army reportedly targeted local relief workers, medical staff and people they believed originally came from western or southern Sudan, according to the Rights Organization, activists, activists and victims of the attack.

In the 1990s and 2000s, their parents fled devastating wars, and after the devastating wars in South Sudan, Nuba Mountains and Darfur, thousands of people from western or southern tribes were in Khartoum Born and raised.

“The fear on many people’s faces is very obvious. They are very scared and they are not entitled to (Khartoum).

"Yes, they were born here, but they felt like this place wasn't their place. If you're from the north or the east (Sultan), you're more eligible for Khartoum now," Ogris told Al Jazeera.

She explained that many people were seeing what she called the "Holocaust" and "ethnic cleansing" in Khartoum in Sudan's bread basket's capital Wad Madani, the capital of Sudan's bread basket, committed "big big" After massacre and "ethnic cleansing", they quickly fled or prepared to flee Khartoum.

When Army-backed combatants captured the city last month, they systematically targeted the Kanabi-agricultural camps, attracting exploited labor from Western Sudan.

The victims, local surveillance cameras and the claims of the Army leaders, hundreds of people were killed due to their racial ancestry.

Army-backed fighter jets have also recaptured ethnic groups in northern Khartoum based on their ethnic background, according to the United Nations Office for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Army spokesman Nabil Abdullah denied the charges.

"These allegations are incorrect," he told Al Jazeera. "The Sudanese armed forces are fully committed to upholding Sudanese law, war laws and international resolutions."

Raids and robberies

Over the past three weeks, RSF combatants have plundered major markets and raided houses to steal electronics, gold and cash, before withdrawing troops from areas where the Army has withdrawn.

As the army now threatens to enter the Sharq El-Nile, the RSF has terrified people in the area by raiding houses to confiscate funds, gold and Starlink Internet suites, which has allowed civilians to access the satellite internet when unavailable network services.

Local relief worker Musab* said RSF combatants rushed into his home on February 3 and attacked everyone.

They confiscated their phones and Starlink devices, apparently trying to hoard them, but Musab temporarily hides his.

Additionally, Musab said the RSF knew that local relief workers received money from abroad (from Sudanese diaspora or aid agencies) and had been working to rob them.

"The RSF is looking for local relief workers because they know we are receiving some money. So they are looking for us and trying to access our account," he said.

Al Jazeera sent a written question to the RSF's press office asking it to respond to the allegations that it was robbing and attacking civilians as the army advanced.

At the time of publication, no response from the press office was received.

Musab insists that RSF's abuse in Sharq El-Nile is becoming unbearable.

"Every day, I move around the house. I can never stay in one place, so I can escape them," he told Al Jazeera.

"At present, I'm more afraid of RSF than the military," he said.

*The name has been changed to protect the resource