Sudanese authorities on Monday reviewed plans to rebuild the capital Khartoum and restore basic services, following the government’s decision to resume operations from the city after more than two years of war.
The discussions came during a meeting in Khartoum between Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Prime Minister Kamel Idris, a day after the government announced its return to the capital for the first time since fighting erupted with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023.
Throughout the conflict, the government had operated from Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast, after Khartoum sustained widespread destruction and its residents were forced to flee in large numbers.
A statement by the council said the meeting focused on steps to rehabilitate infrastructure and revive essential services to create conditions for the return of displaced civilians.
New phase
Burhan and Idris also discussed a broader strategy to prepare the capital for the reopening of federal institutions, emphasising the importance of joint efforts between authorities and local communities to address challenges and accelerate reconstruction.
The talks followed the Sudanese army’s announcement in May that it had regained control of Khartoum and pushed RSF forces out of the city. In July, the Sovereignty Council formed a dedicated committee to oversee preparations for the return of state institutions and residents.
According to the statement, the meeting signals the start of a new phase in which the government is once again managing state affairs from the capital, amid what it described as improving security conditions.
The council added that discussions also covered the country’s broader challenges and ongoing efforts to restore services under exceptional circumstances.
Devastating war
Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states of the Darfur region in the west, except for some northern parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. The army, in turn, holds most areas of the remaining 13 states in the south, north, east and centre, including the capital Khartoum.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has since killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions of others.
