At least 19 people lost their lives when a Sudanese military transport plane crashed into a residential neighborhood near Khartoum, highlighting the ongoing devastation caused by Sudan’s protracted conflict. The Antonov aircraft went down late Tuesday near Wadi Seidna air base, one of the army’s major military installations in Omdurman, northwest of the capital.
According to the army-aligned health ministry, the crash occurred during takeoff, resulting in both military and civilian casualties. Witnesses reported hearing a massive explosion, followed by flames engulfing homes in the area. The impact of the crash extended beyond immediate destruction, as it also caused power outages in surrounding neighborhoods.
Emergency response teams quickly arrived at the scene, working to extract victims from the wreckage and rushing injured civilians, including children, to nearby hospitals. Search and rescue operations were still ongoing as authorities tried to locate bodies trapped under debris.
A military source, speaking anonymously to AFP, attributed the crash to a technical malfunction. However, the incident takes place in the backdrop of escalating violence between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), raising concerns about the stability of the war-torn nation.
The crash came just a day after the RSF claimed responsibility for downing a Russian-made Ilyushin aircraft over Nyala, the capital of South Darfur. According to the RSF, the plane was destroyed along with its crew, marking another severe blow to Sudan’s military. These back-to-back aerial incidents highlight the growing intensity of the conflict between Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
Since April 2023, the two former allies have been engaged in a brutal war that has left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced. The fighting has turned Sudan’s capital and other major cities into battle zones, crippling infrastructure and pushing the country into one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history, according to the United Nations.
Despite recent advances by the army in central Sudan and parts of Khartoum, the conflict shows no signs of abating. The latest military setbacks, including the aircraft losses, further complicate any prospects for peace. With both sides unwilling to negotiate and continued civilian suffering, Sudan remains trapped in a cycle of violence, deepening its humanitarian and political turmoil.
