At least 46 people have been confirmed dead following a Sudanese military aircraft crash in the city of Omdurman, officials said Wednesday, February 26.
The Antonov aircraft, which went down on Tuesday, February 25, in a populated district, also left at least 10 people injured, according to the government-run Khartoum Media Office. The initial death toll of 19 was revised upward by the health ministry.
The military stated that the plane crashed while taking off from Wadi Sayidna air base, located north of Omdurman, a sister city of the capital, Khartoum. The crash damaged several homes in the Karrari district, the media office reported.
While the military confirmed that both armed forces personnel and civilians were among the victims, it did not provide specific figures or details on the cause of the crash. The health ministry stated that some of the victims’ bodies had been transported to Nau Hospital in Omdurman.
Local reports suggested the aircraft was en route to Port Sudan, the seat of the military-backed government, when it crashed over the Al-Thawra neighbourhood in Karrari. Residents reported loud explosions, with thick smoke and dust filling the sky over Omdurman.
The Sudan Tribune reported that the aircraft was carrying high-ranking military officers, though this has not been confirmed by the military.
Aircraft crashes are not uncommon in Sudan due to the country’s poor aviation safety record. In 2020, at least 16 people died when a military Antonov An-12 crashed in the western Darfur region. In 2003, a Sudan Airways civilian plane crashed into a hillside while attempting an emergency landing, killing 116 people, with only one survivor.
Sudan remains in the grip of civil war, which erupted in 2023 between the military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The conflict has devastated urban areas and has been marked by mass atrocities, including rape and ethnically motivated killings, which the United Nations and rights groups have classified as war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly in Darfur.
Fighting has escalated in recent months, with the military gaining ground against the RSF in Khartoum and other regions. On Monday, the RSF claimed it had downed a military aircraft in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province.
