Sudan government returns to Khartoum after more than two years of war
Prime minister pledges to restore services, rebuild hospitals and reopen schools
Residents go about their daily lives in Port Sudan, a Red Sea coastal city that remains relatively less affected by the civil war ongoing since April 2023 and continues to serve as a temporary refuge for thousands fleeing the capital Khartoum, in Port Sudan, Sudan, on January 10, 2026.
KHARTOUM, Sudan/ ISTANBUL
Sudan’s government officially returned to the capital Khartoum on Sunday for the first time since the outbreak of war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, Prime Minister Kamel Idris said.
Speaking to a crowd upon his arrival from Port Sudan, where the government had been operating as a temporary capital since the conflict began, Idris described the move as a turning point for the country.
“Today we return, and with us returns a government of hope to the national capital,” he said. “We promise improved services and a better life for our people.”
Idris pledged to enhance health and education services, rebuild hospitals and rehabilitate schools and universities, placing particular emphasis on the University of Khartoum. He also vowed to improve security and living conditions for citizens.
The prime minister said the government has submitted the 2026 state budget without imposing additional financial burdens on the public, adding that it aims to reduce inflation to 70%.
According to the latest official figures released in November, inflation stood at 74.2%.
Idris said the budget also seeks to raise gross domestic product growth to 10% and curb parallel market exchange rates as part of efforts to stabilize the economy.
He described the current year as “a year of peace,” calling it “the peace of the brave and the victorious.”
On May 21, the Sudanese army announced it had regained full control of Khartoum, declaring the capital free of the RSF following battles in the Salha area south of the city.
Last July, the chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, issued a decree forming a national committee to prepare Khartoum for the urgent return of federal institutions and residents.
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, meanwhile, holds most areas of the remaining 13 states in the south, north, east, and center, including the capital Khartoum.
Sudan’s humanitarian crisis has worsened since the war between the army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 over a dispute on unifying the military establishment, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions.
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