Khartoum Curfew Lifted After Two Years of Conflict

Sun Sep 06 2026 02:29:33 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Sudan lifts the curfew and state of emergency in Khartoum, signalling a return to normalcy as displaced residents come back amid ongoing security challenges.

In a move that marks the end of a two‑year curfew and state of emergency, Sudan’s military government has reopened Khartoum’s streets to the public. More than two million people who fled the city during the 2023 conflict have returned, and authorities are working to restore normal life and infrastructure. Yet the civil war continues in other parts of the country, and residents face damage, looting, and continual power outages blamed on RSF attacks. Security patrols remain active and the war shows signs of spilling into neighbouring Chad, raising concerns about regional stability.

Khartoum Curfew Lifted After Two Years of Conflict

By Barbara Plett Usher – Africa correspondent

Sudan’s military‑led government has lifted a curfew and state of emergency in Khartoum that had been imposed more than two years ago, state media announced. The decision comes 18 months after the army regained the capital from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which it has been fighting in a four‑year‑old civil war.

Over two million of the roughly five million people who fled the city after fighting erupted in April 2023 have now returned to Khartoum since the conflict there ended in March 2025, the International Organization for Migration said. The move aims to restore normal life, with the airport reopening to some flights and businesses and embassies being encouraged to return.

Despite the lifting of the emergency, residents still struggle to rebuild: widespread damage, looted buildings, and constant power blackouts persist. Officials blame RSF drone attacks on electricity infrastructure, while a spokesperson for the Khartoum state government listed looting of copper wires and fuel components as reasons for outages.

RSF sources have denied the allegations as “incorrect and army propaganda.” The Sudan News Agency said security patrols would continue across the state and locals traveling at night would need identification documents.

Reports from BBC Monitoring indicate the army remains in a continuous sweep of greater Khartoum, targeting alleged RSF sleeper cells, undocumented foreigners, and criminals involved in illegal activities. Meanwhile, tensions rise with neighbouring Chad, which accuses Sudan of an air strike that hit a military convoy in En‑Nedi‑Est on August 20, a charge the Sudanese army denied.

The United States has urged an immediate humanitarian truce, with its senior adviser for Arab and African Affairs expressing deep concern over the risk of Sudan’s war spilling into the region. A draft resolution that would extend a 2005 weapons embargo on Darfur across the entire country and ban attack drones has been floated, but Sudan’s government has rejected it, citing concerns that it would unfairly limit the army’s ability to counter the RSF.

The lifting of the curfew marks a symbolic turning point, but the path to lasting peace and stability remains uncertain, with the government continuing to grapple with security, infrastructure, and cross‑border effects of the conflict.