The army-aligned government fled Khartoum in April 2023, during the early days of the civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as rival troops quickly took control of much of the capital

Sudan’s Prime Minister Kamil Idris has announced the government’s return to Khartoum after nearly three years of operating from its wartime capital, Port Sudan.

The army-aligned government fled Khartoum in April 2023, during the early days of the civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as rival troops quickly took control of much of the capital.

Since the army recaptured Khartoum last March, the government has pursued a gradual return to the city.

“Today, we return, and the Government of Hope returns to the national capital,” Idris told reporters on Sunday in Khartoum, which has been devastated by the conflict between the SAF and the RSF.

He promised improved public services, including better healthcare, the reconstruction of hospitals, expanded education services, and upgrades to electricity, water and sanitation infrastructure.

For nearly two years, the capital made up of Khartoum, Omdurman and Khartoum North (Bahri) was an active battlefield, with entire neighbourhoods under siege, artillery exchanges across the Nile, and millions of residents forced to flee.

The United Nations says about 1.2 million people returned to Khartoum between March and October. Many found a city with severely limited services, destroyed homes and neighbourhoods scarred by makeshift cemeteries that authorities are now exhuming.

The war is believed to have killed tens of thousands of people in the capital alone, though the full toll remains unknown, as many families were forced to bury their dead in temporary graves.

According to the UN, restoring Khartoum’s essential infrastructure will cost an estimated $350 million.

In recent months, the government has held some cabinet meetings in Khartoum and begun reconstruction efforts. While the city has seen relative calm, the RSF has continued to carry out drone attacks, particularly targeting infrastructure.

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