At least 46 people have been confirmed dead after a Sudanese military aircraft crashed in Omdurman, officials said Wednesday, February 26.
The Antonov aircraft went down on Tuesday, February 25, in a densely populated district, leaving at least 10 others injured, according to the government-run Khartoum Media Office. The health ministry revised the initial death toll from 19 to 46.
The military stated that the plane crashed while taking off from Wadi Sayidna air base, north of Omdurman, a sister city of the capital, Khartoum. Several homes in the Karrari district were damaged in the crash, the media office reported.
While confirming that both military personnel and civilians were among the victims, the military did not specify their numbers or disclose the cause of the crash. The health ministry reported that some victims’ bodies had been taken to Nau Hospital in Omdurman.
Local reports suggested that the aircraft was headed to Port Sudan, the military-backed government’s stronghold, when it crashed over the Al-Thawra neighborhood in Karrari. Witnesses described hearing loud explosions and seeing thick smoke and dust rising over Omdurman.
The Sudan Tribune reported that high-ranking military officers were aboard the aircraft, though the military has not confirmed this.
Sudan has a history of aviation accidents due to poor safety standards. In 2020, a military Antonov An-12 crash in Darfur killed at least 16 people. In 2003, a Sudan Airways civilian plane crashed into a hillside during an emergency landing, killing 116 people, with only one survivor.
The country remains gripped by 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 atrocities, including rape and ethnically motivated killings, which the UN and rights groups classify as war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly in Darfur.
Fighting has escalated in recent months, with the military making gains against the RSF in Khartoum and other regions. On Monday, the RSF claimed responsibility for downing a military aircraft in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province.
