Sudan's Interior Minister Babiker Samra has urged residents who fled the capital during the war to return, saying Khartoum is now secure following a major police deployment across the city.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Samra said the return of displaced citizens would help reinforce security, noting that "some armed groups operate in deserted neighborhoods with low civilian presence."
"There's no place on earth entirely free of crime, but we are now in a post-war phase, and the police have complete control over the capital and other areas," he said, adding that residents should report any assaults to the police, whose stations now operate around the clock.
Sudanese forces recaptured Khartoum from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in May, after more than two years of fighting that devastated the city and forced millions to flee.
The war, which erupted on April 15, 2023, between the army and the RSF, turned Khartoum and surrounding cities like Omdurman into battlegrounds.
Samra dismissed reports that armed groups disguised in military uniforms were still threatening civilians, saying such groups had been neutralized. "The regular forces are disciplined and protect citizens from criminal gangs," he said.
Crackdown on antiquities smuggling
The minister also revealed that foreign nationals were arrested in the northern city of Atbara attempting to smuggle Sudanese antiquities out of the country. They are now facing trial, though Samra declined to specify their nationalities or intended destination.
"These individuals are part of a criminal network specialized in antiquities theft," he said.
The RSF had previously been accused of looting Sudan’s national museums during the war, with artifacts dating back thousands of years allegedly stolen or destroyed.
Samra pledged to recover smuggled antiquities through cooperation with Interpol. "We are receiving important updates and expect to retrieve key items soon," he said, blaming the RSF for attempting to alter Sudan’s demographic and cultural identity by targeting universities and museums.
A joint committee from the criminal investigation department and the Ministry of Culture has been formed to catalogue looted artifacts and open official cases. "We’ve shared our findings with Interpol," Samra said.
Rebuilding police infrastructure
The minister said restoring damaged police stations targeted by what he called "terrorist militias" remains a key challenge, though some facilities have already been rehabilitated.
He said the Interior Ministry has resumed operations in Khartoum, with 98 out of 101 police stations back online and equipped with both static and mobile patrols.
"When the war broke out, police were present in the capital. But after our facilities were destroyed, we had to relocate forces to safer areas like Karari locality," he added.
Khartoum has seen a gradual return of displaced residents from other states, despite ongoing violence in parts of the country. The army-aligned government, which relocated to the coastal city of Port Sudan early in the war, has been working to restore basic services and bury the dead.
Monumental rebuilding task
Prime Minister Kamal Idris vowed Saturday to rebuild Khartoum, during his first visit to the capital since taking office in May. Touring the destroyed airport, bridges, and water stations, Idris unveiled ambitious reconstruction plans aimed at encouraging millions of displaced residents to return.
"Khartoum will rise again as a proud national capital," he declared.
Army chief and head of the Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, also arrived at the airport, which was retaken by the army in March after nearly two years under RSF control. The government has estimated the total cost of rebuilding Sudan at $700 billion, with Khartoum alone accounting for nearly half that amount.
Idris later visited the destroyed al-Jaili refinery north of the capital, promising its restoration. The facility, once processing 100,000 barrels per day, was recaptured in January, but repairs are expected to take years and cost at least $1.3 billion.
Meanwhile, the government continues to remove unexploded ordnance and reestablish administrative services in the devastated city, underscoring the immense task of rebuilding Sudan’s capital from the ruins of war.
