At the airport of the capital of Sudan, the city of Khartoum, where armed clashes continue, a UN plane burned. At the same time, more than 30 crew members of Ukrainian planes were stranded in the Sudanese capital. What is known about the situation at Khartoum airport, which has become one of the hot spots of confrontation in Sudan, can be found in The Eastern Herald documents.
Khartoum International Airport canceled all flights on the morning of April 15. On the same day, a local paramilitary group, the Operational Support Forces, reported taking control of airports in the Sudanese capital and other towns. Later in the army assured who control Khartoum airport.
Crew members of Ukrainian planes were blocked
The Boeing 737 fire at Khartoum airport was reported on Instagram (owned by Meta*) by Ukrainian low-cost airline SkyUp flight attendant Alina Posokhova, who posted a photo of the liner on fire, Strana reports.
“Sudan. An attempted coup. Bombing at the airport. Hostages. Our crews and boards. Pray,” she wrote, adding that people are “shocked and desperate.”
Low-cost carrier SkyUp said the cause of the fire was the operation of an emergency radio beacon on one of the carrier’s two planes, which are located at Khartoum airport. “There are 36 of our employees in Sudan now. They are in a relatively safe place, there is communication with them,” the statement said.
@Qamaroo3
SkyUp added that “it is not yet possible to establish the condition of the aircraft and the possible damage”. The company also clarified that there are two planes belonging to the low-cost airline in Sudan.
Later, the official representative of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Oleg Nikolenko, said that the crew members of Ukrainian civilian aircraft were successfully evacuated from Khartoum airport, they were in a safe place. The diplomat also said Ukrainian media reports of their hostage-taking “are not confirmed”.
“During the aggravation of the situation, members of the Ukrainian aviation crew were at the international airport in Khartoum. This group of people managed to be eliminated. They are currently in a safe place. They are supported by the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Sudan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Ukraine in Egypt keep the security of citizens in Sudan under special control”, Nikolenko is quoted by the Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty **.
Destruction of a UN plane and bombing of a Saudi Airbus
By data Al Arabiya TV channel, a UN plane was the target of heavy artillery fire, as a result of which it was destroyed. Images broadcast on the television channel show burnt fragments of the plane’s fuselage.
Meanwhile, Saudi national airline Saudia said on Twitter that its Airbus A330 plane “had an accident” at Khartoum airport before flying to Riyadh. How transmits Al Arabya, the plane came under fire as it prepared for a scheduled flight to Riyadh while passengers and crew were on board. The channel also reported that the airline’s staff had been transferred to the Saudi Embassy in Khartoum. Saudia added that it was suspending all flights to and from Sudan “until further notice”.
Footage shared on social media, filmed at the Sudanese capital’s airport, showed two planes on fire – a Boeing 737 and an Airbus A330.
Against the backdrop of armed clashes, some airlines, including EgyptAir , flydubai And Emirates announced the suspension of flights to Sudan.
On the morning of April 15 in Khartoum, as well as in other cities in Sudan, clashes began between the regular army and the fighters of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Both sides accuse each other of attacking their headquarters. During the clashes, the RSF announced that it had taken control of several airports, air bases, the presidential palace, the residence of the army commander and other administrative installations in Sudan. Clashes in Khartoum have killed three civilians and injured dozens, according to Al Jazeera. RSF Commander Mohammed Hamdan Daglo appointed forced confrontation with the army. According to him, “the outcome of the battle will be decided in the coming days”. Moscow expects “in the next few hours” the confrontation will move from an armed phase to a negotiation phase, Russian Ambassador to Sudan Andrei Chernovol said. To the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged parties to the conflict to restraint and a ceasefire.
*Meta’s Facebook and Instagram activities are recognized as extremist in Russia and prohibited
** registered by the Ministry of Justice of Russia in the register of foreign agents
Read the Latest Ukraine War News on The Eastern Herald.
