NYALA – In a tragic plane crash, at least nine people were killed in Sudan’s coastal city of Port Sudan on Sunday.
The Sudanese army said in a statement that a civilian Antonov plane crashed at Port Sudan Airport as a result of a technical failure, leading to the deaths of nine people, including four military personnel while one child survived the crash.
Port Sudan airport is the only functional airport working in the country, making the city a vital transit point for much-needed foreign aid as fighting in Sudan continues between the army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group in the capital Khartoum and states in western Sudan.
Port Sudan in the Red Sea state, tucked on the eastern coast of the country, is one of the cities that have been under the control of the Sudanese army since the war broke out.
The United Nations says that the conflict between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (SAF) has killed over 3,000 civilians and displaced nearly 3 million.
Up to 25 million people in Sudan need humanitarian aid and protection, the UN says while urging the groups to settle the dispute without loss of lives.
The fighting has left millions trapped in their homes and they need basic stuff including water. The situation in the suburbs of the capital Khartoum is devastating as residents called for food donations for survival.
Some of the residents claim that they have been able to eat once a day. In some areas, there is no electricity, aggravating the situation.
The United Nations World Food Programme said about one-third of the population already faced hunger even before the war began across the country.
