Sudan military plane crashes in Omdurman killing more than 40

At least 46 people have been killed and 10 others injured after a Sudanese military plane crashed in a residential neighbourhood in Omdurman, the twin city of the capital Khartoum, state media says.

The Russian-built Antonov aircraft came down after take-off from the military’s Wadi Seidna air base on Tuesday evening.

The cause of the crash, which killed military officers and civilians, is unclear – but military sources have been quoted as saying that it was likely to have been a technical malfunction.

The crash came a day after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – which is at war with the army – said it had downed a fighter jet in South Darfur.

The conflict has devastated large parts of Sudan – including Khartoum and Omdurman – with thousands of people killed and about 12 million displaced.

The health ministry said that emergency teams rushed injured civilians, including children, to a nearby hospital following Tuesday’s plane crash.

A senior army commander in Khartoum was among those killed, Reuters news agency quoted unnamed military sources as saying.

Witnesses said there was a loud explosion and several homes were damaged when the plane came down, the AFP news agency reports.

The crash also caused power outages in nearby neighbourhoods, it added.

Sudan has been in a civil war that began in April 2023 after the army and the RSF became involved in a vicious power struggle.

The war has split the country, with the army controlling the north and the east while the RSF holds most of the Darfur region in the west and parts of the south.

In recent weeks, the army has retaken parts of Khartoum and surrounding areas from the RSF.