Sudan’s Khartoum Resumes Normalcy as Two‑Year Curfew Is Lifted

Sun Sep 06 2026 01:41:27 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

After a prolonged lockdown, Khartoum ends its curfew and state of emergency, but residents still face power outages, looted businesses and looming border tensions.

A two‑year curfew imposed on Sudan’s capital is officially lifted, marking a tentative step toward peace after the army reclaimed Khartoum from the Rapid Support Forces. Roughly two million people who fled the city in 2023 are now returning, though they confront damaged homes, disrupted electricity, and ongoing security sweeps. The government invites businesses and embassies to return, yet regional frictions—especially with Chad—and accusations of cross‑border attacks have kept the situation fragile.

Sudan’s Khartoum Resumes Normalcy as Two‑Year Curfew Is Lifted

The Sudanese military‑led government announced the removal of a curfew and state of emergency that had been in place in Khartoum since early 2024, according to state media.

The decision came 18 months after the army pulled back control of the capital from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) amid a civil war now in its fourth year. Yet fighting is still active in the country’s south and west and appears to be spilling across borders.

More than two million people out of a roughly five‑million displaced population have returned to Khartoum since fighting there ended in March 2025, the International Organization for Migration reports. The aim of lifting the curfew is to restore normal life to the capital.

The authorities have reopened the main airport for a limited number of flights and are encouraging businesses and foreign embassies to return. Still, residents struggle to rebuild livelihoods amid widespread looting, constant power blackouts blamed on RSF drone attacks, and a lack of government funds for repairs.

A Khartoum government spokesperson, Altayeb Saadeldin, highlighted the targeting of the electricity sector, citing looted copper wires, fuel, and other components, and drone attacks as the cause for outages. RSF‑affiliated sources denied the allegations, calling them “incorrect and army propaganda.”

Despite lifting the state of emergency, authorities remain wary of RSF infiltration. The Sudan News Agency said security patrols will continue across the state, and citizens traveling at night must carry identification documents. BBC monitoring reports that the army carries out security sweeps targeting alleged RSF sleeper cells, undocumented foreigners, and criminals involved in illegal activities.

Regional concerns are growing. Chad has accused the Sudanese army of hitting a military convoy inside Chadian territory on 20 August, leading to heightened border security. Sudan denied the charge, insisting it was surprised at the blame without an independent investigation. Meanwhile, Sudan accuses Chad of allowing the passage of RSF military supplies from the UAE through its borders, a claim denied by both Chad and the UAE but corroborated by UN experts and investigative reports.

U.S. officials express deep concern that Sudan’s war might threaten regional peace. Massad Boulos, the senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, urges for a humanitarian truce and opposes external financial and military support to the warring parties. The U.S. embassy recently presented a draft resolution to the UN Security Council to extend a 2005 weapons embargo on Darfur, encompassing RSF territory and banning attack drones—an initiative rejected by Sudan’s government and army, who argue it unfairly equates the national military with a paramilitary force.