The outbreak of war in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, on 15 April 2023 caused—in addition to substantial human loss and the destruction of infrastructure—major disruption in state activity and civic services. Law enforcement forces quickly disappeared from the streets of Khartoum and were replaced by SAF and RSF soldiers, leaving civilians still in the city extremely vulnerable to wanton violence and crime. Since April 2023, civilian movement and access to emergency services in the capital remain exceedingly limited, with local social networks—including emergency response rooms emerging from resistance committees—helping people navigate through ‘safe’ zones and access basic supplies and medical care. The war has exposed the shortcomings of the centralization of Sudan’s governance structure and public services. While some services have been re-established outside of the capital, such as the big cities in northern and eastern states including Port Sudan, capacity remains limited, hampered by rudimentary infrastructure that is now put under further pressure by the overwhelming displacement of people (SUNA, 2023c). Since April, an estimated 3,557,494 people have fled the Khartoum state, with millions more fleeing other areas (IOM, 2024b, p. 3).
In the wake of the unrelenting violence and chaos in Khartoum, some government ministries, aid organizations, and diplomatic agencies—particularly those involved in facilitating humanitarian relief—relocated to Port Sudan, the capital of Red Sea state. Untouched by the ongoing war and strategically located on the Red Sea, Port Sudan, with its operational port, is an appealing potential administrative capital for SAF. At present, the port serves as a hub and central distribution point for humanitarian aid. Its airports and seaport provide safe transit points for Sudanese civilians, government officials and diplomats, and foreigners. Several embassies have transferred their activities to the coastal city, including those involved in conflict-cessation negotiations, such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the United Kingdom (Alayam News, 2023; Altabia, 2022; UK FCO, 2023).
Relative to Khartoum, Port Sudan is a small city with limited infrastructure. The influx of displaced civilians and others into Port Sudan, primarily from Khartoum, and from Madani after mid-December, has overwhelmed the city. Within months, pressure on public services, compounded by limited state government funds, resulted in power and water shortages.
Port Sudan is poised to become the designated seat of SAF in its effort to regain administrative control of Sudan. In late September 2023, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan , speaking in the city, explained that it was necessary to move SAF’s headquarters to Port Sudan owing to continued insecurity and fighting in Khartoum (Al-Mashhad Al-Sudani, 2023). Al-Burhan has been keen to hold meetings with SAF leadership, his cabinet, and others—including Minni Minnawi, the governor of Darfur. Prominent figures from native administrations have also settled in the city, including Masalit from West Darfur state. From his eastern headquarters, al-Burhan has made many trips abroad with the aim of gaining the political and diplomatic support that would enable him to confidently declare a de facto government in Port Sudan; however, none of these trips have been successful.
As SAF’s efforts to re-establish a governance structure in Port Sudan continue, unease among local residents and political groups persists. In 2023, the city witnessed clashes between the army and forces affiliated with Shaybah Dirar’s wing of the Beja Congress, a political organization comprised of several eastern groups with a long history of political resistance against centralized power in Khartoum, including the Bashir regime (Africanews, 2023).[1]
[1] For background on the Beja Congress and power in Khartoum, see Small Arms Survey (2015).
| < PREVIOUS | NEXT > |