Saudi Arabia, Egypt suspend flights to Khartoum amid unrest

Saudi Arabia and Egypt on Saturday suspended flights to Khartoum airport amid clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In a statement, Saudi authorities said all flights to and from Sudan have been suspended until further notice.

The Saudi flag carrier Saudia also said one of its planes in Khartoum airport suffered an accident.

"Saudia clarifies that its A330 aircraft, flight number SV458 was involved in an accident at Khartoum International Airport before taking off to Riyadh at 0730hrs UTC this morning, Saturday April 15," it said in a statement.

"Saudia's emergency team immediately responded, working alongside all the relevant authorities, led by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Republic of Sudan, to obtain more information about this accident," it added.

Egypt's national flag carrier EgyptAir also announced a suspension of its flights to Khartoum for 72 hours.

"In light of the information received about the unstable security situation in Sudan, EgyptAir announces to its valued customers that it will temporarily suspends its flights to Khartoum Airport, starting today, Saturday, April 15, 2023, for 72 hours," the airline said in a statement.

Fighting broke out early Saturday between the Sudanese army and RSF fighters in Khartoum, with gunfire and bombs heard near the army headquarters and presidential palace, according to an Anadolu reporter in Khartoum.

While the RSF accused the army of attacking its forces south of Khartoum with light and heavy weapons, the military said the paramilitary force was "spreading lies" and declared it a "rebel" group.

The dispute between the two sides came to the surface on Thursday when the army said recent movements by the RSF had happened without coordination and were illegal, with their rift centering around a proposed transition to civilian rule.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency

Last December, Sudan's military and political forces signed a framework agreement to resolve the months-long crisis.

The signing of the final agreement was scheduled to take place on April 6, but was delayed. No date has been announced for the signing of the deal.

Sudan's transitional period which started in August 2019 was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.