By Enyichukwu Enemanna
For the first time since April 2023 when war broke out in Sudan, a domestic passenger flight landed at the capital, Khartoum International Airport on Wednesday, potentially indicating gradual reopening of air traffic.
The media and culture ministry of Sudan confirmed that a Badr Airlines flight from Port Sudan landed.
The Khartoum airport previously received flights carrying Sudanese military leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan at least twice this year.
The army in March captured the airport from the rival paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The war broke out when the military and the RSF turned against each other in a power struggle. Although the military holds the capital, the RSF still controls parts of the western Darfur region and other areas.
According to the World Health Organization, at least 40,000 people have been killed in the war, while 12 million persons have been displaced.
Similarly, the United Nations says over 24 million people are facing acute food insecurity.
The RSF fired drones at the airport early Tuesday, but the army in a statement said the military intercepted them.
RSF leader Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa, also known as Hemedti, later on Tuesday night threatened in a video speech that his forces would continue targeting the airport.
“Any airplane that takes off from any neighbouring country, any airplane that is dropping supplies, bombing or killing, any drone that takes off from any airport, will be a legitimate target for us,” he said.
Burhan toured the airport on Tuesday ahead of its scheduled reopening and delivered a speech vowing to protect citizens against possible attacks from the RSF camp.
The Sudan Civil Aviation Authority this week confirmed that domestic flights would resume on Wednesday after necessary operational and technical procedures were completed, according to Sudan News Agency.
It’s unclear how many airlines would use Khartoum airport in coming days.
