African Union returning to war-torn nation’s capital

A delegation has met local officials to assess readiness for restoring operations in Sudan’s Khartoum

The African Union (AU) is set to resume operations in Sudan’s capital Khartoum, as a delegation arrives to assess conditions on the ground, a local outlet reported on Sunday. 

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mohieddin Salem met with the delegation, headed by AU Special Envoy Mohamed Belaiche. The visit aims “to determine the situation in preparation for the reopening of the African Union office in Khartoum as soon as possible,” Belaiche said as quoted by Sudan Tribune. 

The return follows recent moves by UN agencies to shift their operations back to the capital after years of working out of the city of Port Sudan, on the Red Sea. 

Sudan’s transitional government returned to the Khartoum in January after nearly three years of operating from Port Sudan amid a war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). 

READ MORE: Sudanese government returns to capital after years of war

In March of last year, Sudan’s de facto leader and head of the armed forces, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, proclaimed Khartoum “free” after government troops recaptured the international airport along with key infrastructure facilities. 

According to Salem, the security and living conditions in Khartoum are improving, and residents now have access to essential services. 

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The return is not happening in isolation. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reopened its office in Khartoum in September, while in January the Central Bank of Sudan resumed operations in the city. 

At the peak of the conflict, over 15 million people were displaced, according to data from the International Organization for Migration. Since then, an estimated three million have made their way back to their home areas. Of those, more than 1.3 million have returned specifically to Khartoum, according to figures released by the UN migration agency on January 29. 

“Overall, 83 per cent of returnees came from internal displacement, while 17 per cent returned from neighboring countries, including Egypt, South Sudan, and Libya, as well as from the Gulf States,” the IOM stated.