Khartoum, once Sudan’s bustling capital, now lies gutted after months of brutal conflict. The army’s recent victory over the paramilitary RSF is a turning point in a two-year civil war that has claimed at least 150,000 lives. Though the RSF’s grip on Khartoum has ended, uncertainty remains about what lies ahead. The city bears deep scars: the presidential palace, once a powerful symbol, has been looted and bombed, its grandeur reduced to rubble. Banks, ministries, and the airport are charred remnants. Yet amid the destruction, remnants of faith endure. At St Matthew’s Cathedral, damaged by nearby shelling and desecrated by RSF forces, the beautiful painted ceiling has survived. One soldier cleaning inside said his son was born on the first day of the war, but he still hasn’t met him. Despite atrocities committed by both sides and ongoing violence elsewhere, people in Khartoum rejoiced during Eid, briefly reclaiming hope in a city that has seen the heart of Sudan torn open.