2008 attack on Omdurman and Khartoum In May 2008 , the Justice and Equality Movement ( JEM ) , a Darfur ethnic minority rebel group , undertook a raid against the Sudanese government in the cities of Omdurman and Khartoum . From the government ' s viewpoint , the attack took place on a single day , May 10 , 2008 , while JEM has countered the government ' s account with reports of heavy fighting in parts of the Khartoum metropolitan area into May 11 . More than 220 people were reported to be killed in the raid , including a Russian pilot , and scores were later sentenced to death . It was the first time that the War in Darfur , previously confined to western Sudan , reached the country ' s capital . Overall , the war claimed the lives of up to 300 , 000 people , with 2 . 5 million more made homeless since 2003 ( the United States has labeled the conflict in Darfur as genocide , a charge the Sudanese government has rejected ) . Despite decades of warfare in Southern Sudan , Khartoum had not experienced any street fighting since 1976 . The battle . On May 10 , 2008 , Sudanese National Islamic Front ( NIF ) government troops and a large group of rebels from Darfur clashed in the city of Omdurman , opposite of Khartoum . Witnesses reported heavy gunfire and artillery fire in the west of Sudan ' s capital and Sudan People ' s Armed Forces helicopters and vehicles rushing through the streets towards Omdurman . As the Justice and Equality Movement rebels in a convoy of 130 all - terrain vehicle s approached the capital , a Russian military pilot working as a military instructor Sudanese Air Force climbed into a MiG - 29 combat jet and attempted to strafe the column . The plane was shot down by a large - calibre machine gun and the pilot was killed as his parachute did not open after ejecting . Despite the efforts of the Sudanese and Russian governments to conceal the incident , news of his death was leaked by the independent Echo of Moscow radio station in Russia and the Sudanese newspaper " Alwan " ( which was promptly closed down for having " disclosed sensitive military information harmful to the country ’ s security and its accomplishments " ) . JEM forces entered the city of Omdurman , targeting the Arba ' een military base and the Al - Aswat police station . Government troops backed up by tanks , artillery , and helicopter gunships were immediately deployed to Omdurman , and heavy fighting raged for several hours . The rebels then started to move towards the Al - Ingaz bridge to cross the White Nile into Khartoum in an apparent attempt to reach the Presidential Palace , while another JEM force headed towards the National Radio and Television building in Omdurman . Both attacks were repelled by government forces . After recapturing the strategic military airbase at Wadi - Sayedna , Sudanese government soldiers stopped the rebel advance just short of the country ' s parliament , and by late afternoon Sudanese TV said that the rebels had been " completely repulsed " , while showing live pictures of burnt vehicles and bodies on the street . Sudanese police said the alleged leader of the attackers , Mohamed Saleh Garbo , and his intelligence chief , Mohamed Nur Al - Deen , were both killed in the clash . The government declared an overnight curfew shortly after its announced cessation of hostilities at 1400 GMT . The JEM , however , had denied the government ' s claim of victory against the rebels , instead stating that fighting was still going on in Omdurman and Khartoum North . According to a report by Human Rights Watch , sporadic fighting continued for the next 48 hours . Omdurman residents said there was more fighting on the morning of May 11 . There were also reports of fighting on May 12 at markets in central Khartoum ( west of the American Embassy ) , and on the other bank of the Blue Nile . Residents in Banat and Al - Muhandiseen areas reported some shootings in the area , and an eyewitness said that the Sudanese security forces set a siege around one of the buildings said to be occupied by the JEM fighters . On the same day , the JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim spoke by telephone to the Associated Press claiming to still be within Omdurman with his fighters , and vowed to continue attacks in a long guerrilla war . The group has identified their goal as the overthrow of Omar al - Bashir ' s military government . On May 14 , the Sudanese defense minister Gen . Abdul Rahim Mohammed Hussein said 93 of his soldiers and 13 policemen died in the battle , along with 30 civilians and more than 90 Justice and Equality Movement rebels . He also said the rebels lost at least two - thirds of their vehicles , while the interior minister Ibrahim Mahmoud said the government forces destroyed more than 40 and seized about 17 vehicles . Also on this day , JEM admitted defeat in the raid in which they said a third of all their fighters took part , but promised further attacks on the capital . The group ' s deputy chairman , Mahmoud Suleiman , said in a statement that it " might have lost the Khartoum battle and pulled out in dignity . . . but it has not lost the war . " Aftermath . Hassan al - Turabi and ten other members of the oppositionist Popular National Congress party ( PNC ) , a splinter faction of the ruling National Congress , were arrested at dawn in their homes in Khartoum because of their alleged links to the rebels . Turabi was released later that day , denying any such relationship between the PNC and JEM . JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim ruled out any ceasefire with Khartoum unless a political accord is signed , lashed out at the international community , accusing it of impotence in its response to the Darfur crisis , and hailed the position of the Sudanese Communist Party for not condemning the attack . The government said it has learned lessons from the raid and will be better prepared next time . It also offered a $ 125 , 000 USD bounty for Ibrahim , who has been allegedly wounded during fighting on May 10 in Omdurman . By April 2009 , the Sudanese government had sentenced 82 Justice and Equality Movement members , including the top rebel Abdul Aziz Ashur , half - brother of Khalil Ibrahim , to death by hanging as guilty of terrorism and illegal possession of weapons . As one batch of the sentences was handed down , the condemned men stood up and shouted " Go , JEM , go ! " and " Go , Khalil , go ! " By November 2009 , the number of these sentenced for death crossed 100 , including six JEM child soldiers ; however , scores of other children accused of taking part in the raid were pardoned and freed by President al - Bashir . Impact on Sudanese - Chadian relations . Sudan accused its neighbor Chad of providing haven and ammunition to the rebels ( " basically Chadian forces " ) , and the Sudanese government had announced that rebels were moving over the border from Chad to the Darfur region , which is the epicenter of the conflict between Darfuri rebels and pro - government Janjaweed militants ; the rebels then moved over some of desert and scrub from Darfur to the Khartoum metropolitan area . Chad denied the allegations , but Sudan immediately cut off relations with Chad for the first time since a non - aggression pact was signed between the two countries ' governments in mid - March .