At least 19 people lost their lives when a Sudanese military transport plane crashed into a residential area on the outskirts of Khartoum, the army-aligned health ministry confirmed on Wednesday.
The Antonov aircraft went down on Tuesday night near Wadi Seidna air base, one of the army’s key military installations in Omdurman, northwest of the capital. According to the military, the plane crashed during takeoff, resulting in casualties among both soldiers and civilians.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud explosion, with several homes in the area sustaining damage. The crash also led to power outages in nearby neighborhoods.
“Search efforts are still ongoing to recover the remaining martyrs trapped under the rubble,” the health ministry stated.
Initial reports from pro-democracy activists had put the death toll at 10. However, the health ministry later confirmed a higher number of fatalities. Emergency teams transported injured civilians, including children, to a nearby hospital for treatment.
A military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, cited a technical malfunction as the likely cause of the crash.
The incident occurred just a day after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claimed responsibility for shooting down a Russian-made Ilyushin aircraft over Nyala, the capital of South Darfur. The RSF stated that the aircraft was destroyed with its crew onboard.
These developments signal a growing escalation in the ongoing conflict between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. Once allies, the two leaders have been locked in a fierce power struggle since April 2023, pushing Sudan into what the United Nations describes as one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history.
The fighting has devastated Khartoum and other major cities, displaced millions, and severely damaged essential infrastructure. Despite recent advances by the army in central Sudan and the capital, there are no signs that the conflict will end soon.
