What unfolded just after nightfall on Tuesday was more than a mere occurrence; it was a confluence of fate and fragility. The military—entangled in a ferocious conflict since April 2023 with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—confirmed that this tragedy struck during takeoff. Both soldiers and civilians paid the fatal price.
“After a final tally, the number of martyrs reached 46, with 10 injured,” pronounced the statement from the Khartoum regional government’s media office. A testament to human vulnerability, captured in numbers that will forever haunt the history of this beleaguered land.
In the early chaos, the Health Ministry aligned with the army had reported a minimum of 19 casualties. But as the dust settled and the ruins were sifted through, the extent of loss revealed itself in stark clarity. The echoes of a loud explosion reverberated through the hearts of witnesses, as homes lay damaged amidst the debris, and surrounding lanes descended into darkness with power outages.
Emergency teams, inconsolable but determined, transported the wounded—a haunting procession of children and adults—to nearby hospitals. A military source, veiled in anonymity, divulged to Agence France-Presse (AFP) a technical malfunction as the silent architect of this disaster—an unfortunate twist of fate undisclosed to the public.
Army Advances
Yet, when tragedy reigns, can ambition hold? A day prior, the RSF had arrogated for itself the downing of a Russian-made Ilyushin aircraft in Nyala, a city entrenched in the drama of South Darfur’s landscape. This proclamation unfolded as tensions simmered, the RSF claiming victory amidst the loss of crew and craft alike.
It was an act punctuated by the army’s pronounced strides in central Sudan and Khartoum—a grim waltz of power against the RSF, a dance that writes history in its destructive cadence. The sands of time shifted as the RSF, in Nairobi, inked a charter with allied political factions, auguring a semblance of governance for regions under their sway.
Since April’s fateful dawn, the stage has seen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his erstwhile confidante, RSF commander Mohamed Hamadan Daglo, rivalling for supremacy over Sudan’s future. The long-time allies have become adversaries in a drama where history’s literate moments are spelled out in blood and ambition.
The carnage—the unbridled violence—has embraced tens of thousands in its relentless grasp. A war kindled by discord over governance has matured into one of the globe’s most severe humanitarian crises. The United Nations, a chronicler of despair amidst hope, echoes this dire narrative.
Resistance weaves through the rubble-strewn streets of Khartoum, through the silence of displaced millions who hunger not only for sustenance but for peace. They’d crossed thresholds into uncertainty, leaving everything behind to find little but conflict-riddled sanctuaries. Infrastructure—a testament to humanity’s progress—lies crippled, whispering tales of what once was.
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International–Monitoring
