A Sudanese military transport plane crashed into a residential area near the Wadi Seidna air base, northwest of the capital Khartoum, on Tuesday night, killing 46 people and injuring 10 others, according to local authorities.
Crash Details
The aircraft was reportedly en route to Port Sudan, the headquarters of the military-backed government. The Sudanese military has neither confirmed nor denied reports that high-ranking officers were aboard.
“After a final tally, the number of martyrs reached 46, with 10 injured,” the Khartoum regional government’s media office said in a statement. Emergency rescue personnel rushed injured civilians, including children, to a nearby hospital.
A military source, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, suggested that a technical malfunction may have caused the crash.
Eyewitness Accounts
Residents described hearing a loud explosion, followed by thick smoke rising from the crash site. Several homes were damaged, and power outages were reported in the neighborhood.
Ongoing Conflict in Sudan
Sudan remains engulfed in a civil war between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict, which escalated into full-scale fighting in 2023, has devastated urban areas and led to severe human rights violations, including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings, particularly in the western Darfur region.
On Monday, the RSF claimed to have downed a military aircraft in Nyala, a major city in Darfur. The United Nations has accused both warring sides of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Sources By Agencies
