Sudan closes airspace until April 30
The Sudanese Armed Forces warn that any violation of the airspace will have consequences
The Sudan Civil Aviation Authority has extended restrictions on flights in the country’s airspace until April 30, Khartoum International Airport announced on Saturday.
“The Civil Aviation Authority has issued a NOTAM warning to flight personnel, extending the closure of Sudanese airspace to all aircraft until April 30. The Sudanese Armed Forces warn that any violation of the airspace will have consequences,” said the message posted on the airport’s Facebook page (the social media owned by US corporation Meta that is outlawed as an extremist organization in Russia).
Earlier on Saturday, Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said that the military had control over all the airports in the country, except those in Khartoum and Nyala. On Friday, Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces voiced their willingness to open partially the airports they are controlling so as to evacuate foreigners from Sudan.
The situation in Sudan escalated after disagreements between Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also chairs Sudan’s Sovereign Council, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemedti), his deputy in that council and the chief of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces. On April 15, clashes erupted between the two forces near the Merowe military base and in the capital of Khartoum.
According to the latest figures from the health ministry, more than 600 people have been killed in the hostilities. The Sudan doctors’ committee reported that almost 200 civilians have been killed, with more than 1,000 injured and another 3,300 forced to flee their homes.
