For the second time since Sudan slid into war nearly three years ago, a commercial aircraft has touched down in Khartoum.
The domestic flight, operated by national carrier SUDANAIR, arrived at Khartoum International Airport on Sunday afternoon, the state-run SUNA news agency reported. The aircraft departed earlier in the day from Port Sudan, the Red Sea city that temporarily served as the seat of government before authorities relocated back to Khartoum earlier this year.
Officials view the airport’s gradual reopening as central to efforts to revive daily life in the capital, much of which was left in ruins by the war between Sudan’s military and the powerful Rapid Support Forces. Air traffic had been suspended after the conflict erupted, leaving the country’s main gateway badly damaged.
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Sunday’s arrival marked only the second commercial landing at the airport since the war began, the AP indicate in a report. In October last year, a plane operated by privately owned Badr Airlines landed in Khartoum, an event that was followed by RSF drone attacks aimed at derailing plans to bring the airport back into operation. The military later regained control of the capital from the RSF.
The conflict started in April 2023 after a power struggle between the military and the RSF turned into full-scale fighting in Khartoum and other parts of the country. The airport was among the first major facilities to be hit, sustaining heavy damage in the early weeks of the war.
According to United Nations figures, more than 40,000 people have been killed since the fighting began, though humanitarian organizations warn the true toll is likely far higher. The war has also triggered the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, forcing more than 14 million people from their homes, spreading disease outbreaks and driving parts of Sudan toward famine.
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