3.2. Mobility and flight connections

The widespread infrastructure damage,755 combined with large-scale vehicle theft, has led to the collapse of public transport in the capital. Fewer than 100 of the capital's 750 routes remained in operation, according to the Transport and Communications Authority. Fuel shortages and soaring fares have limited movement for returnees and displaced families.756 As of March 2026 civilian movement remained limited in the capital due to active fighting between the SAF and RSF, checkpoints, and the breakdown of basic services, including electricity, water, and healthcare.757 In May 2025, the New Arab reported that the reduced policing capacity and the economic collapse have fuelled looting, extorsion and organised crime, while residents in some neighbourhoods of Khartoum have described being effectively confined to certain areas out of fear of robbery, kidnapping, and checkpoint-related abuse.758

Movements in part of the city remained affected by checkpoints759 or selected security points. Trucks were reportedly subject to frequent stops at checkpoints and in some cases required to pay informal sums in order to proceed and avoid expensive transit receipts.

As of February 2026, public transport has only partially resumed, with only certain major hubs such as Jackson terminal operating regularly for inter‑city and intra‑Khartoum routes. The other two main terminals, Sharwani and Al-Estad, either remained closed or were operating at very low capacity. This has created a fragmented system where many residents rely on informal minibuses, rickshaws, or private vehicles rather than a full, coordinated network. Transport fares were reportedly set ‘arbitrarily’ and may vary. Indicative fares included:

• trip from Omdurman to Al-Souq al Arabi, 3 000 SDG [approximately EUR 1];

• trip from Al-Souq al Arabi to the Central Market, 2 000000 SDG [approximately EUR 0.6];

• trip from southern Khartoum to Omdurman, between 5 000 and 12 000 SDG [approximately between EUR 1.5 and EUR 4] ;

• trip from Al-Kalakla neighbourhood to Al-Souq al Arabi, 3 000 SDG [approximately EUR 1].760

• Khartoum International Airport was closed to normal civilian traffic after fighting began in April 2023, and it remained largely non-operational for regular commercial service for two years. After the SAF regained control of Khartoum in March 2025, there were limited reopening steps, including a reported civilian flight in October 2025.761 However, the reopening was halted after the airport was targeted by RSF drone strikes in October 2025, which damaged several newly rehabilitated facilities.762 In February 2026, the airport reportedly reopened for limited operations with a Sudan Airways domestic flight to and from Port Sudan.763 Although the airport resumed a domestic route to Port Sudan, available information suggested that operations remained restricted.764 In April 2026, flight tracker maps showed an active international connection between Khartoum and Damascus.765