Death Toll in Sudan Military Plane Crash Rises to 46

A truck drives past a Sudanese army tank at the entrance of Wad Madani in Sudan's al-Jazira state on February 20, 2025, after the regular army forces reclaimed the area from its rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) last month. (AFP)
A truck drives past a Sudanese army tank at the entrance of Wad Madani in Sudan's al-Jazira state on February 20, 2025, after the regular army forces reclaimed the area from its rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) last month. (AFP)
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Death Toll in Sudan Military Plane Crash Rises to 46

A truck drives past a Sudanese army tank at the entrance of Wad Madani in Sudan's al-Jazira state on February 20, 2025, after the regular army forces reclaimed the area from its rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) last month. (AFP)
A truck drives past a Sudanese army tank at the entrance of Wad Madani in Sudan's al-Jazira state on February 20, 2025, after the regular army forces reclaimed the area from its rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) last month. (AFP)

The death toll from a Sudanese military plane crash in the city of Omdurman increased to at least 46 people, officials said Wednesday. 

The Khartoum Media Office said the crash also injured 10 others. The initial death toll of 19 was provided by the health ministry. 

The Antonov aircraft crashed Tuesday while taking off from the Wadi Sayidna air base north of Omdurman, the military said in a statement. Omdurman is the sister city of the capital, Khartoum. 

The crash also damaged a number of houses in the Karrari district of Omdurman, the media office said. 

The military earlier said that armed forces personnel and civilians were killed in the crash, but didn’t provide figures. It didn’t say what caused the crash. 

The health ministry said that some bodies were transferred to the Nau hospital in Omdurman. 

Sudan has been in a state of civil war since 2023 when tensions between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, exploded into open warfare. 

The fighting has wrecked urban areas and has been marked by atrocities, including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings, that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially in the western region of Darfur, according to the United Nations and international rights groups. 

The war has intensified in recent months, with the military making steady advances against the RSF in Khartoum and elsewhere in the country. 

The RSF, which controls most of the western region of Darfur, said that it downed a military aircraft on Monday in Nyala, the provincial capital of South Darfur province. 



First Wheat Shipment Since Assad’s Ouster Arrives in Syria’s Latakia

A farmer shows wheat plants at a field in Giza, Egypt April 18, 2025. (Reuters)
A farmer shows wheat plants at a field in Giza, Egypt April 18, 2025. (Reuters)
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First Wheat Shipment Since Assad’s Ouster Arrives in Syria’s Latakia

A farmer shows wheat plants at a field in Giza, Egypt April 18, 2025. (Reuters)
A farmer shows wheat plants at a field in Giza, Egypt April 18, 2025. (Reuters)

A ship carrying wheat has arrived in Syria's Latakia port, the first delivery of its kind since former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted by rebels in December, the government said on Sunday.

Officials of the new government say that while imports of wheat and other basics are not subject to US and UN sanctions, challenges in securing financing for trade deals have deterred global suppliers from selling to Syria.

The Syrian General Authority for Land and Sea Borders said in a statement that the ship carried 6,600 tons of wheat. It did not identify the nationality or destination of the boat, but one regional commodity trader told Reuters it was from Russia.

"A step that is considered a clear indication of the start of a new phase of economic recovery in the country," the borders authority said of the shipment, adding that it should pave the way for more arrivals of vital supplies.

Traders say Syria has this year been largely relying on overland imports from neighbors.

Russia and Iran, both major backers of the Assad government, previously provided most of Syria's wheat and oil products but stopped after the opposition triumphed and he fled to Moscow.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government is focused on economic recovery after 14 years of conflict.