Khartoum curfew and state of emergency lifted

Sudan's military-led government has lifted a curfew and state of emergency in Khartoum imposed more than two years ago, state media says. According to BBC News, the authorities are taking this step 18 months after the army seized back control of the capital from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which it has been fighting in a civil war now in its fourth year. But clashes continue in the south and west, with mounting evidence that the war is spilling across Sudan's borders. More than 2m of the roughly 5m people who fled Khartoum after war erupted in April 2023 have returned to the city since fighting there ended in March 2025, according to the International Organisation for Migration. The aim of lifting the curfew is to help restore normal life to the capital. The government has reopened the city's main airport for some flights and is encouraging businesses and embassies to come back. But residents still struggle to rebuild their livelihoods. Many have found widespread damage with many buildings looted. And they have to cope with constant power blackouts, due to alleged RSF drone attacks on electricity infrastructure and a lack of government funds to carry out repairs. Despite lifting the state of emergency, the authorities remain wary of RSF infiltration. The Sudan News Agency said security patrols would continue operating across the state and locals traveling at night would need to carry identification documents.

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Meanwhile, the US has called for a UN arms embargo for Darfur to be broadened to the whole of Sudan, reports DW. The change would require Security Council approval, with Russia warning it would hurt the Sudanese army. The proposal was put forth by US Envoy Massad Boulos during a UN Security Council meeting in New York. ‘The brutality of the war waged by the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces has discredited their claims to be legitimate governors of the Sudanese people,’ said Boulos, who warned that ‘external financial and military support is fuelling the conflict and risks drawing neighbouring states deeper into war’. Boulos said the US wants to expand the embargo geographically as well as materially in order to cover unmanned aerial vehicles and related technologies. Moreover, the US plan would see the number of experts monitoring the embargo increased. The Darfur embargo has been in place for two decades and will expire on 12 September if not amended or renewed. An expansion would require a Security Council vote. Sudan's UN envoy Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed urged members to endorse a ‘technical extension’ of the existing embargo while warning against changes that would hamper the army. Russia, which holds veto powers in the Security Council, has voiced skepticism over changes to the existing deal, saying that expanding the embargo could impact the Sudanese army's effectiveness.

Full report on the DW site