Trending 
A United Nations humanitarian plane landed at Khartoum International Airport on Thursday, marking the first time since Sudan’s civil war began nearly three years ago.
Denise Brown, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, arrived on the flight from Port Sudan and described the landing as a “big deal” for the international aid community.
The reopening of this vital air bridge follows the Sudanese army’s recapture of the capital from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) last year, marking a symbolic and practical shift in the conflict’s geography.
The airport itself has been a primary battleground throughout the war.
Overrun by the RSF in the early days of the fighting and subsequently damaged by heavy shelling and drone strikes, the facility required extensive renovation before it could safely receive aircraft.
While a commercial passenger flight landed earlier this month, the arrival of the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) signifies a more consistent effort to fly essential personnel and supplies directly into the heart of the country rather than relying solely on dangerous overland routes.
The timing of the flight is critical as the UN sounds the alarm over a spiralling hunger crisis.
Brown noted that being able to fly across the vast territory of Sudan will facilitate work in regions that were recently inaccessible, such as Kordofan.
In cities like Dilling and Kadugli, months of blockades and siege conditions led to catastrophic shortages.
While famine has already been officially confirmed in some areas, the UN coordinator warned that current data suggest Dilling is now facing similar famine conditions, though a formal declaration is still pending.
With the resumption of air travel and the recent arrival of a 50-truck aid convoy to frontline responders, the UN is hoping to scale up its operations to reach millions of Sudanese in desperate need.
However, the security situation remains fragile; the airport was targeted by drones as recently as October.
Brown urged global leaders to find a political solution to the war, emphasising that while aid flights are a breakthrough, they are only a temporary fix for the deeper humanitarian catastrophe caused by the ongoing violence.
